Missing
by FullMetal Alchemistress
Summary: 3 years after STWAOES. Max is taken back to the School and Fang and Iggy get themselves captured to save her. Fang comes down with an illness that hasn't been seen in nearly a hundred years. 3 mysterious people visit.FAX EGGY. Summary subject to change
1. Chapter 01: Prologue

I feel like this is now a tradition to put at the beginning of all my stories, so I shall say it anyways: I should not be starting another story

**I feel like this is now a tradition to put at the beginning of all my stories, so I shall say it anyways: I should not be starting another story. Yeah, yeah yeah. Whatever. Maybe I'll actually get reviews for this one…**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

I flipped on the light, revealing the shabby motel beds, and I sighed one more time. I can't believe I gave in. Again.

Nudge suggested we slept in actual beds, then, and just then, Gazzy just _had _to let everyone know that there was a small cluster of hotels beneath us.

No use crying over it now.

Though I couldn't help but shudder as my eyes swept across the deep red walls, the cream-colored sheets, and the orange-gold glow of the lights. It was all too familiar. Oh yeah. The last time we'd spent the night in a hotel, I'd been kidnapped and—

"Max?" I looked up to see Fang watching me. The littler ones were dividing the two king-sized beds up. I shook my head at him and then entered the conversation about the beds.

"Girls in one bed, guys in the other," Iggy said.

"I agree," I muttered. I felt Fang's scrutinizing eyes on me until I turned the lights out.

I could hear everyone's breathing slow. Except one.

"Go to sleep," I whispered as soft as I could, mainly to myself. Sure, I had _my _reasons for not sleeping. Last time we stayed in a hotel, three years ago, I was kidnapped. But Fang had no excuse…

"You first," he whispered back.

And then I heard something and I held my breath.

_Ka-chlunk!_

Someone was loading a gun. Slowly, I sat up the same time Fang and Iggy did. We shared a long, wordless stare. I tapped the kids' hands near me and Fang did the same.

But before we could get out of the beds, the walls caved in around us and we were surrounded like never before. They didn't even pause before they came at us.

We fought each one off, knowing the Flyboy's weak points, but there were _way _too many. It was like a never-ending line. I would destroy one, and another two would show up.

I heard an explosion that made my ears crackle and I paused for a second, looking for the rest of the flock. Hands wrapped around my arms and legs and I let out a scream as something tore at one of my legs. I could hear it snap. A sickening sound that made my stomach lurch.

And then color exploded behind my eyes and it was dark.

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Please review. I have the next three chapters pre written so…REVIEW OR I'LL EAT JOO!**

**P.S. The rest of the chapters will NOT be this short. They will be at LEAST 1000 words each. **


	2. Chapter 02

You asked for it, now here it is

**You asked for it, now here it is. I wrote up a LOT more in my Pre Calc class—but I didn't miss much, I know all this crap, but my school's stupid administration forbids me from going straight to AP Calc. PSATs tomorrow, so I'll be able to post another chapter or two if I get enough reviews. I need to do good though if I wanna get a scholarship to a school in California—that is, if I decide that I wanna do animation. (NO, I REFUSE to work for Disney!) I'll end up working for the Canadian branch of Square Enix and make movies with the same format as the Final Fantasy movies. But, I really wanna be a major film director at the moment, so…**

**Wow….I rambled…anyways. I promised a longer chapter, so here:**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Disclaimer: Did I put this up last time? No? Oh, well, the lovely and very talented James Patterson owns Maximum Ride and its entirety. All I own is…um…the class ring on my finger that I use to type…?**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Chapter 2 **

"Max!" her name was called by the flock. Fang watched helplessly as they overwhelmed Max. She screamed and he struggled to get over to her, his joints screaming in protest. The Flyboys had him by the torso and arms and he could barely move to hit them. By the time Fang did get away, they had knocked Max out and were hauling her away.

"Put her down!" Fang hissed.

"You have nothing for us. We will take the girl," he said robotically.

"Like hell you will," Fang growled, adrenaline giving him strength to knock out one Flyboy, but unfortunately, he was too late. Max was a small dot on the horizon. Pain shot through Fang's body like electricity, and then was out like a light.

--x--

"Fang? Fang!" voices called to him from the darkness, but he chose to ignore them. Max. Max. She was gone. They'd taken her to God knows where.

"Fang!" another called, more sharply, and they shook my body.

Fang opened his eyes and sat up slowly, checking himself for any breaks and mentally cataloguing bruises. His fingers brushed over a knot on the left side of his head and he winced.

"Thank God," everyone sighed in relief.

All was silent for minutes.

"What now?" Angel asked quietly.

Fang ran a hand through his hair. "We need to find Max," he said simply. It was the only thing he _could _do. He wouldn't be able to focus on anything else.

He began to plan it out in his head.

First thing they needed to do was find out where they had taken her.

He glanced around at the flock, cataloguing visible injuries. Angel and Nudge were crying, but looked unhurt. Gazzy had a small cut over his right temple and Iggy had a split lip. Not too bad.

Fang stood up and nearly fell back down when he started coughing hard.

"You okay?" Iggy asked, laying a light hand on his arm.

"Yeah, I think I just kicked some dust up in my face or something," he muttered. "Let's go."

--x--

My head was pounding and I felt like there was an entire brick building sitting on my chest. I heard muffled voices around me and strained my ears to hear them.

"What good would putting her in a crate do? She's already broken out of one—she'll break out again," a voice argued over her head.

"She's too injured to put in a tank right away. Let her heal up some before we put her away."

They seemed to come to an agreement, but my mind clicked with choice words. 'Tank' and 'crate' echoed in my head and I wanted to scream. Maybe I did.

I couldn't hear anything and I assumed I was unconscious again.

I woke up again when someone called my name. It sounded familiar. Like a happy familiar. I thought it was Fang at first, but slowly and torturously, it morphed and changed into a demon's voice.

"Max," Jeb called again softly.

I moaned and looked up at him. My head swam and the room shifted around the edges. "What?" I snapped weakly. "I was just having an amazing dream where you died." I slurred, laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world.

Wait, that wasn't funny…

He sighed and motioned for me to follow him out the door. I followed merely out of curiosity. We entered a large basement-like room where four white coats and Jeb were seated around a metal table.

"Oh, are we gunna play games?" I asked. What was _wrong _with me? Did they get me drunk? Oh, someone was gunna die…

"You'll have to excuse her," Jeb muttered. "The sedative drugs haven't worn off yet."

Great, so I was drugged. Even worse.

"Now, Maximum," One started saying. Oh, good. So I had a name now? I wasn't experiment-numbers-and-letters anymore? Aw, darn. "We have a few questions for you."

I dropped my head to the table, a headache already forming between my eyes. I picked it up and dropped it again and it felt like it numbed the pain, so I did it a few more times.

"Max," Jeb said in a warning tone.

"What are these questions?" I asked, my voice muffled by the cold metal in front of my face. It felt goooooooood.

"Where are the rest of the experiments? The ones you freed?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked honestly.

"Don't play dumb," a female whitecoat snapped. "The ones in Texas that you let go after killing the entire staff in the building. We know it was you, so don't lie. You blew up the building when you left." Ah, Iggy and Gazzy's trademark. But something was wrong. We hadn't been in Texas at all…

"We didn't do it," I replied honestly. We never _did_. No joke.

"Yes. You. Did."

I pounded my head a few more times. Oh, Metal Table, no one understands me like _you _do.

"I say throw her into the isolation tank now. She's healed."

There were small murmurs of agreement.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second. "Healed?"

"You've been sedated for two—almost three-weeks now," Jeb clarified. "The wounds you sustained from your capture were pretty severe."

"Yes," A male whitecoat to my right stressed. "Which is why—since she's apparently refusing to admit anything and tell us where the others are—she should be placed in the sensory deprivation tank for a day or two."

"She'll talk then," another nodded.

"Last chance, Maximum," Jeb muttered to me. "Where are the experiments that were released? You have got to tell us if you know _anything _or you could have just killed us all. _Including _the rest of the flock."

"I'll tell you what I know," I said, and the whitecoats perked up. "I _know _that my flock and I did not do anything that you're accusing me of."

"I'm done here," one of the men growled, pushing his chair back and standing up. Others followed suit.

"You blew it, Maximum," Jeb whispered, waving someone over. I felt a prick in my arm and things got real quiet and fuzzy, then disappeared all together.

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Dun dun dun. Oh, how cliché… ANYWAYS…At the beginning, I was rereading it and found that I had slowly gone from 1****st**** person the 3****rd**** without even noticing, and I tried to fix it into 3****rd****, so forgive me if I missed something. I tried.**

**I was going to throw Max into a coma. (Don't ask why, I always throw my characters into Comas. I did in 5 or 6 other stories XD)**


	3. Chapter 03

Someone asked "Why a coma

**Someone asked "Why a coma? Isn't there something better?" I dunno, I just really like writing about characters that go into comas. I love the emotional baggage that comes with it, I guess and the way it affects a lot more than just the close people around you. You could call it my writers' siggy/signurature (I hate that word. I can never spell it right. I also hate conscious.)**

**Anyways…**

**Here's Chapter 3!!**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Disclaimer: I feel like I'm short a disclaimer, so I shall put two on here.**

**Disclaimer: Yup. Much better. Now I'm caught up XD. James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. I do not.**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Chapter 3**

Three weeks, two days, and eight hours. Fang sighed and dropped his arm back down to his side once the night-light on his watched flipped off again. He refused to let anyone, especially himself, believe that Max could be dead.

But that didn't stop him from making it a possibility.

He watched the rest of the flock sleep. His mind raced as fast as his bird-kid heart.

Three weeks. Three whole weeks and they had yet to find her. Sure, there had been many leads and small traces, but nothing big. They had no idea where she was. What would he do if he never saw him again? Max was the glue that kept the flock together, and now that she's gone…they're all slipping. Nudge was quieter, Angel was less enthusiastic, Iggy was wordless, Gazzy was trying to put on a bravado act, and besides the pounding headache that sometimes left Fang spacey, he _tried _to step up and be the leader.

--x--  
Months Later…  
--x--

I opened my eyes. O…kay, take two. I opened my eyes. Still darkness. I started to panic. Attempting to spread my wings, I felt no movement. None. I screamed. Or at least, I tried to. No sound. I took a deep breath. Okay, I thought to myself, calm down. I had to stay sane long enough to figure out where I was.

Voice, I thought. Any help?

Can't…transmission…think…stronger…isola…tank…

Wait a second! "Isola" and "tank"? No way. Isolation tank?! I was in one again?

Stronger…crackled the voice again.

My resolve to stay calm shattered the same time a bright light broke through the darkness. My heart thumped wildly in my chest. So much so that it was painful. I welcomed the blackness when it came.

--x--

I breathed heavily. Fighting off whitecoats would do that to you. I must have been getting weak if they didn't even need erasers to restrain me. After they buckled me into a chair meant for mentally insane people, Jeb walked to the head of the table and flipped through some papers. He found the one he was looking for and leaned on the table, staring at me. I filled my eyes and my face with as much anger and hate as I could, hoping it showed.

"What do you want?" I rasped, still squinting slightly at the bright florescent lights. "Three years. We defeated Itex three YEARS ago! _What else do you want from us_?!"

"No," Jeb said softly. "Just you. This 'us' you keep mentioning—no, it's just you."

"What do you want?" I ground out, somewhat relieved. If they just wanted me, then they'd leave the rest of the flock alone. One by one the faces of the flock came to my head. Angel, Gasman, Nudge, Iggy, and Fang.

"We here talked about just that in the eight months you've been in the tank—"

"Eight months?!" I whispered, horrified.

"—and we've created a schedule that spans about the next two years."

"Really…" Where was the flock? No attempts to break me out? No. I can't lose faith in them just yet. Not ever.

"Here's how it plays out—"

"Oh, goody, I get to know what hell looks like beforehand! It's like friggin' Christmas!"

Again, he continued as if I hadn't even spoken, but I know he heard me. "First, we're going to replace that chip back into your arm—"

"Mind if I ask what it does?" I pressed.

"It tracks progressions in your life. Reactions to your environment and such." Finally! An answer! "Then, after we replace the chip, you'll be put in a new deprivation tank—it'll be a bit easier on your heart." He smirked. "Can't have you having a heart attack on us." He winked.

Disgusting. "Go to hell," I snarled.

He ignored my comment. Glancing down at the table, I noticed it was metal, but the restraints wouldn't let me bash my head against it.

"Then we'll run regular daily tests for about six months after which we'll be doing a rather…unique experiment, so you'll be a lot more comfortable for just about a year."

"And if I refuse?"

He seemed to be picking and choosing which of my comments to acknowledge. He didn't answer. Well, not verbally. He lifted up a remote that I hadn't seen and, aiming over his shoulder at the plasma screen hanging on the wall, turned the large television on.

I coughed, choking on air.

Fang was sitting, shirtless, against a wall, running his hands through his hair like he did when he was angry. His face was angled down toward his knees, away from the camera.

"We'll kill him." My glare shot to Jeb.

"That won't be so easy," I assured him.

"Oh?" He pressed another button and the camera angle changed. Same room, but a different view. Fang's head was still angled away, but another figure was in the center view. Iggy. He was sitting against a wall perpendicular to Fang. Well, at least I solved the mystery of Fangs shirtlessness. Strips of black cloth were tied tightly around Iggy's leg.

"Dude." Iggy's voice came through the speakers distorted, and vaguely recognizable. "I'll be fine. Everything will be fine." He paused, but not in a hesitant way. "When we get out, you should go see a doctor or something. I may not be able to see, but, dude, really," he joked. But the pain—from his leg, I guessed—was evident in his voice.

"I'll be alright," Fang said, his words sounding slurred and forced.

'Liar!' I wanted scream in his face. Especially since, when he looked up to respond to Iggy, I caught a glimpse of him. Even through a camera lens, he didn't look well. His usual olive tone faded to a deathly light pale, and bright hectic spots of pink covered his cheeks.

"Let him go," I started to say, but while I had been preoccupied with Fang, a whitecoat had come up and sedated me. How weak was I?

--x--

Fang and Iggy snapped their heads toward the screeching of the large metal door being opened.

"Put her in here with them until the tank is ready," Jeb ordered and a whitecoat gently, yet still roughly, placed Max on the ground and shut the door quickly.

"Max," Fang breathed, stumbling over and sitting next to her. Iggy slid across the floor next to him and helped Fang get her to a more relaxed position on her back and away from the door.

-x-x-x-x-

**I feel like people actually LIKE this story. Huh. Go figure. I mean, my Twilight stories are doing fine, a grand total of over 1600 reviews between the three, but I never actually thought that this Maximum Ride one was too good.**

**Anyways, review please :D**


	4. Chapter 04

Ah, this is late, I know

**Ah, this is late, I know. But I had to type up this chapter (gasp!) because it was written in my Pre Calc/Drama II notebook. Anyways, I may not always be able to post on the weekends because I have this talent show coming up next month as a fundraiser my Competitive Dance Team is doing for a breast cancer charity, and I'm going to play 'My Immortal' by Evanescence on the piano while my friend sings it. Problem is: I'm having trouble with the chorus. The keys are too fast. I've got everything from the beginning to the first chorus. Everything but the chorus' and the bridge. I'd do 'Bring Me To Life' but the piano stops after a short bit (I know the beginning until the piano disappears.) It's amazing to think that I haven't been playing piano long. Only since January or so…**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, James Patterson does, and since I am of the female species, I am NOT a 'James'. I am a 'Kimberly'…But I do have a cousin named Jamie who got me into Maximum Ride. (It was a trade, she reads Twilight if I read MR.)**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Chapter 4**

I groaned, feeling surrounded by consciousness and cold air. Pulling my eyes open, the first thing I saw was a very worried Fang. I sat up slowly and rubbed my aching head.

"How're ya feeling?" he asked. I turned to get a better look at him. Simply reaching out and taking his jaw in my hand, I held back a gasp at how hot his skin was, I tilted his face this way and that, using my other hand to brush his hair away. "What are you—" He swatted my hand away.

I cut him off. "The camera lens didn't exaggerate," I said, gesturing over my shoulder with my thumb at the small black box in the corner that hung conspicuously from the ceiling. I took his hands in mine—they were so cold.

"I'm fine," he muttered.

"Where's your jacket?" I scolded. "You're not fine, you're stupid." I pulled off my sweatshirt and chucked it at his face. Well, it wasn't my sweatshirt—it belonged to the whitecoats—but they had given it to me when they decided that I should not walk around naked. The sweatshirt was too big for me anyways, but it should fit Fang. Anything to cover up his chest...

As he put that on, I scooted over to Iggy. "What did you do?" I asked.

"Whitecoats," he whispered. "What about you?"

I looked down at myself, but before I could say anything, Fang was already poking and prodding my leg, making me wince.

"Her leg is bent at a funny angle about two to three inches below the knee," Fang described to Iggy, who also began touching, but softer.

"An old break," he said. "Healed all wrong. Sorry, Max, but once we get out we'll have to re-break it." Iggy's face was apologetic. I groaned mentally. Yay! More Christmas gifts! **(If you don't get this, read the last chapter again.)**

"How did you guys get in here, anyways?" I asked after a few moments of just breathing.

"Came to bust you out," Fang said with a grin.

"Getting caught in the middle of a rescue mission isn't particularly something to smile about, dumbass," I said flatly. Seriously, he was seventeen now, he should know how not to get caught. But his eyes widened a fraction and his eyebrows rose then dropped quickly. Was he urging me to play along? If…no…what kind of plan…he didn't…

Some say realization hit them like a ton of bricks, well, if you measure this realization in the matter of bricks, I'd have been hit by an entire district of school building.

"You _morons_!" I growled. My words had double meaning, a hidden, deeper meaning that I knew Fang and Iggy would understand, and the face value for whatever whitecoat happened to be listening in on the videos. "What kind of…"

They had _meant_ to get caught.

"I don't wanna know—" I started, but the door swung open and Jeb, flanked on either side by erasers, entered the room. I gripped the hood of Fang's sweatshirt and stood up awkwardly, dragging him with me. "You told me you'd kill him," I snarled. "Well, if he dies because you can't keep him healthy, then what will you have to hold above my head? I'll _kill you_."

"Thanks _mom_," Fang muttered sarcastically before falling into a coughing fit for a few seconds. He really needed…appropriate medical attention. I made a mental note to take him to Dr. Martinez's house as soon as we escaped.

We stood, glaring at each other for a few seconds before Jeb spoke.

"Change of plans, Maximum."

"Oh, too bad. What's the new schedule look like now?"

Jeb motioned the two erasers forward. "You're going to the hydro-cardiac tank a few days early." **(AN: I so totally made that word up and I'm not even sure if putting the hyphen in there is grammatically correct, but screw it—unless YOU know how to fix it….XD)**

"The what?"

He sighed in exasperation. "You've grown dense in your old age, Maximum—"

"I'm only seventeen!"

"—it's the heart-sensitive water isolation tank we talked about."

"Woah, woah! Hold it! Nothing was said about water!"

"Then I'm saying it now."

I took a shaky step backwards and nearly tripped over Fang. He steadied me, his hands on my upper arms. I realized he'd just heard about the threat to kill him, but more importantly, he knew where they were taking me. Through the fabric of my long-sleeved shirt, I could feel his freezing cold fingers tremble.

"What about the chip?" I asked, my voice as shaky as Fang's hands.

"Already in," he smirked. Gosh, did I just wanna hit him. Just once. Please, if there is some sort of higher power out there watching me, let me just sock him _once_ before I have to die.

Fang stepped in front of me and I realized that the erasers weren't for me, but for Fang and Iggy—both weakened drastically. Jeb reached over and grabbed my wrist, thin and boney from the lack of food. I swore then that as soon as we were free, I was going to buy an entire restaurant.

As soon as we got into the hall, I took my first swing, hearing my knuckle crack as it connected with his face. I chose to ignore the searing pain as I smiled. Damn that felt amazing. Jeb fell to his knees.

I walked up and my knee connected with his head, which then connected with the wall, before he fell to the floor, unconscious. Chuckling at what I planned to do, I pulled a pen out of his pocket and snapped it in half, gently touching the pointy edges to make sure they were sharp enough. I leaned over his face and began to carve into his cheek—not hard, but hard enough to draw blood and scab over a little so that it was visible and funny if the right people saw it.

About two years ago, we tried to settle into a permanent home. We did for a while. Before we were forced to leave, Fang and Gazzy got into video games like crack addicts. Iggy just…listened to them play—not exactly much fun. Gazzy was speaking text-talk for weeks.

I stood up and admired my word. But it didn't last.

"Bye bye!" a sickeningly sweet voice chimed behind me.

Wow. This was getting to be clichéd. 'Quick! She's rebelling! Someone sedate her!'

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Review…or Max dies…-holds spork to Max's temple-**


	5. Chapter 05

First off, I'd like to answer an anonymous reviewer:

**First off, I'd like to answer an anonymous reviewer:**

**Destiny said: GREAT new chapter. I like how Fang and Iggy LET themselves get caught. That was a good plan...well...i think anyways. Lol. But what's wrong with Fang? Is he like...sick or something? I love this story, and just for the record, I don't think your summery gives it much justice. lol. Anyways...you're fic is totally awesome as I've said before. Keep updating! REALLY soon!**

**My answer: Tee hee. I've been planning Fang's fate ever since before I even TITLED the story Let's just say I got my inspiration from my Honors US History class. (H.US.H.)**

**As for the summary, I think I put "subject to change" on it because I tend to change it drastically as the fic develops. Right now I'm not sure how much I really wanna give away. I plan for this fic to be around a hundred chapters. But if anyone wants to re-write the summary and send it to me, feel free!**

**On with the story!**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. Darn…XD**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Chapter 5**

Fang stumbled as an eraser shoved him down the hallway and into a small room. He was placed into a chair next to Iggy and told to wait.

"You think she got the message?" Iggy whispered to Fang when they were alone.

"Considering she called us morons, I'm pretty sure, but then again, this is _Max_." His eyes darted around the room looking for escape routes, but he only found an air vent, which was welded to the ceiling. Nice. He'd have to wait until they had their guard down—they seem to have caught onto the air ventilation system being all the rage among teen mutant escapees.

He began to cough again, his throat feeling like it was being torn apart.

Jeb walked in with a bottle of water and set in front of Fang. Ha. Hilarious. He let Max get to him. Fang had to keep from laughing as he leaned forward and opened the bottle. But when he looked through the clear bottle—searching for any sighs that it had been drugged—he saw something on Jeb's face that made him laugh. Iggy flinched away.

"What's so funny?" He asked Fang. He had never heard Fang laugh like that…or as long as he was. Fang was actually having trouble composing himself.

"Max…" he laughed again. "Max…wrote…well, she carve…" Laugh. "Carved 'Max Pwns' on Jeb's face." He burst out laughing the same time Iggy did. Fang had memory flashbacks of Gazzy and all his 'pwnage' and cracked up all over again.

Slowly the laughing turned into coughs. And what startle Fang enough to sober him up was that, when he pulled his hand away, he saw blood. Not a lot, but he _did _need help if he was coughing up blood.

"Let's get down to business," Fang said flatly, wiping his hand on his jeans hoping no one noticed what had gone on. "What do you want?"

_Fang?_

Angel. Awesome, Fang thought. They could finally bust out. If Angel was contacting him then they were ready on the outside. He needed to let Iggy know without Jeb noticing. After all, Jeb _taught _them how to signal each other, so tapping Iggy's hand was out.

_Leave that to me…_

Fang saw Iggy roll his neck—a movement that he realized Jeb did not know at all.

_Fang_, Angel thought to him _Iggy needs one more thing before he's ready, just go along with whatever he says, okay?_

Yeah, Fang responded.

Iggy stood up and leaned over the table, taking a pen from Jeb's coat pocket. "What are you—"

"You want to see what I've learned, even being blind?" He chuckled and Fang suppressed a shudder. Iggy could be creepy when he wanted to. He had the 'mad scientist' thing going very well for him. Iggy took a deep breath before flinging the pen across the table, hitting Jeb in a spot on his neck. Jeb tensed.

Nothing happened and Fang was about to say something when Angel interrupted him.

_Wait for it…_

Fang looked for the pen without being obvious. So that's why Iggy through it _there_, Fang thought. Iggy had calculated the direction and position of Jeb by the sound of his voice and then guessed when his voice box was. From there he could determine where the pen would land if it bounced off him. Fang did the calculations a lot slower than Iggy, but he looked at where it should hand landed and, sure enough, there was the black ink pen inconspicuously located between Iggy's feet.

"Enough goofing off," Jeb snapped, rubbing his neck. He unconsciously scratched the carving on his cheek and made it bleed.

"Shoot," he muttered before standing and heading for the door. "I'll be right back, just wait here."

"On three," Fang whispered too low for Jeb to hear. "Ready," he paused and waited for the door to open. "ONE!"

Iggy and Fang leaped across the table and, while Iggy knocked out Jeb, Fang held the heavy metal door open.

"Quick, go!" Fang whisper yelled, not knowing who was in the hallway.

Iggy raced past and Fang took one last look at the bleeding scratch on Jeb's pale cheek before letting the door slam shut, a loud clang echoing in the empty hall. Fang paused and waiting for Iggy to tell him that it was clear. When Iggy nodded, they took of in the direction of the room they had been in. Once they got there, Fang started coughing so bad that Iggy had to stop running and race back to him.

"You okay?" Iggy asked hurriedly, yet concerned.

"Yeah," Fang rasped, grateful Iggy couldn't see the blood in his hand. He opened the door to their cell. "Get what you need and let's go!"

While Iggy collected his materials, Fang coughed. Come on, he thought to himself. This is definitely no time to get sick!

"Come on, Gasman's waiting for us on the other side of the building."

"Which way is Max?" Fang asked, glancing down the halls, fists ready to strike.

"Max?" Iggy asked, looking confused. "Oh, her!"

"Yeah, her," Fang growled, angry that he had actually forgotten.

"Chill out, dude" Iggy said. "Where do you think I'm going?! Angel says to go this way—" He pointed to the right with perfect aim for a blind guy. "—and then take the first left, second right, down three flights of stairs, a right and then the first room on the right is where Max is."

Fang didn't respond, he flew—not literally—down the hallway, taking the directions that Angel had given them. Three times on their way, they were nearly caught, but at the last minute, they'd duck down a hallway or into an abandoned room.

Fang came to a halt right in front of her door and tried the knob. Locked.

_I already sent Nudge in. I knew it was locked from the beginning—_

Why didn't you say anything? Fang thought.

_Didn't see the need_.

Fang could almost see the angelic smile that that child could emit to make anyone forget why they were mad at her. Footsteps pounded lightly down the hall and Fang turned, ready to fight, but was met by a flash of dark skin and black hair. Nudge. He sighed in relief. Just on the other side of this door, Max was there, waiting.

"Get it open," Fang growled to the door.

"I'm working on it," Nudge snapped, her fingers flying over the metal surface of the knob. Seconds later, the door clicked open and Fang was inside, looking around.

There, near the corner, was a tank. Something straight from a science fiction movie—a tank that usually held a clone of somebody, sleeping in a liquid, wearing an oxygen mask. This was exactly that. Max was floating, naked, in water, her angles chained to the base. Lights in the huge, circular metal base tinted the water with an orangey glow. Her hair splayed out around her, occasional bubbles shooting up from the base and dancing with her hair before popping on the surface to keep the water from becoming stagnant.

Max.

**-x-x-x-x-**

**DX OH NOS! MAX!!11!1!!11!shift11!!**

**Please review and tell me what you think. I've got the next 2 or 3 chapters written already so…I can post whenever. If I get enough reviews, maybe I'll post today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe Monday. **

**How many reviews will it take to get an update?  
The world may never know…**

**XD**


	6. Chapter 06

Okay, I'm pretty proud of the number of hits I got yesterday

**Okay, I'm pretty proud of the number of hits I got yesterday. 76. That's the most so far. (the other four chapters got 70, 68, 66, and 67.) So I GUESS I'll update…**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own/claim Maximum Ride as my own. Only James Patterson has the right to do that. I DO own this plot XD**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Chapter 6**

Fang's hand touched the glass. "Max," he whispered before tearing around the base, looking for a way to get her out.

"Any idea's on how to get her out?" Iggy asked, stating the obvious after Nudge had finished explaining the sight.

"Angel doesn't know, she just says to hurry," Nudge murmured, staring at her leader in disbelief.

"I know of one way," Fang grunted, half unscrewing and half ripping a pipe from the wall that lead to the oxygen tank of one of the empty isolation tanks. "Nudge, Iggy, one of you get ready to catch her!" He jogged over to Max and swung at the glass. It shattered instantly and water rushed all over the floor. Max's body twisted, her feet still chained, and began to fall, but fell into the open arms of Iggy.

"Put this on her," Fang said, handing over the sweater she had given him earlier, exposing his chest again. While Nudge put the sweater on Max, Iggy and Fang worked to get Max unchained as fast as they could.

"How did you get in here, Nudge?" Iggy asked as they waited.

"I dug a hole underneath the fence. It would take too long to dig one big enough for you guys, so we just decided to blow the fence up."

Anyone coming? Fang asked Angel. Someone had to have heard that crash. It was really loud.

_Two whitecoats are wondering what that sound was, their about to come look._

_Make _them think it was just a rowdy experiment, Fang thought, stressing 'make' so that she would control them—they'd had a long discussion about how she should only use that power when the situation called for it. And right now, the situation was_ screaming _for it.

"Alright, she's good to go," Iggy said breathlessly.

Fang coughed again, and he looked at his hand, the amount of blood that he was coughing up was increasing. But this time was different. He looked up to see Nudge staring at him, wide-eyed.

"Fang—"

"Let's go," He muttered, picking up Max and running for the door.

Once they were in the hallway, they heard the first explosion. It was far away, but the building still shook.

"That was the fence, come on! Iggy, you got that bomb ready?!" Nudge yelled, leading the way to a window. It was way too small for Fang or Iggy to get through, but a fourteen-year-old Nudge would fit perfectly. "Place it here and let's go. There's a room right around the corner where we'll be safe. Angel say's to hurry, the whitecoats are on to us."

Iggy ripped apart the pen he'd stolen from Jeb and placed the small metal spring inside and snapped the boxy-looking bomb shut. "Alright!" He called. "Let's go!"

Once they were inside the room, Fang looked at Nudge, who was holding out Max's clothes.

"Put them on her," Fang whispered, setting Max on the ground by Nudge before turning to Iggy. "How long do we have before it goes off?"

"About 30 seconds now. I wasn't sure how long we would need to get a safe distance away so I set it for 45 seconds."

And, unfortunately, 20 seconds later, Max started to wake up, fully clothed now. Fang was pulling his sweatshirt over his head when he saw her sit up.

"Five seconds!" Iggy yelled, getting to the ground, Nudge tucked underneath him.

"What the—" Max was cut off when Fang tackled her to the ground just as the far wall exploded. The explosion was loud and debris went flying everywhere, some lightly pelting Iggy and Fang in the back just enough to leave them sore later.

After all was quiet, Fang slowly sat up, brushing pieces of wall off Max and himself.

"I thought you said we'd be safe here," Iggy snapped at Nudge.

"You're breathing, aren't you?! Shut up and let's get the hell out of here!" She stood up, a little wobbly at first, but she gained her balance and then took a running start before diving out the large hole in the corner of the wall about 10 yards away.

--x--

**(I couldn't stand writing in 3****rd**** person anymore.)**

I looked over wearily to see Nudge jump out the window. Was this their great plan? The pounding in my head was loud and aggravating, so I barely heard Fang talking to me.

"Can you fly?" He asked. He'd grown paler—if possible—and his red cheeks were more definable. His voice was a lot weaker and less forceful. I reached up and brushed my fingertips across his blue-tinted lips. Extremely, deathly cold.

"I can fly, can you?"

Our heads snapped in the direction of the door to see four or five whitecoats racing down the hall towards us. We jumped up and raced for the window.

"Guess we'll find out," Fang muttered to himself snapping his wings open, probably not meaning for me to hear. As we flew towards a whole in a large fence that domed over the entire School, my mind raced to catch up with the situation. I was in the cell with Fang and Iggy, then the carving, then…then…

I felt tears falling down my face and I watched a few fall to the lake below us. The wasn't the only thing I saw fall to the lake below. I guess being in a sensory deprivation tank for a few days made my reaction time longer because he was half way down toward the water before I even realized what was going on. No one else saw it.

"FANG!" I screamed, diving for him. But my body was slow and I seemed to have forgotten how to use my hyper speed in that moment. The only thing I could thing was, 'Please Fang, please, come on Fang! Wake UP!'

Iggy got to him before I could, and Gazzy got to me before I hit the water. We all followed Nudge and Angel as the landed in a clearing just north of the large lake.

"Fang!" I called, running over to him once Gazzy had put me down. I fell to my knees next to his motionless form. "Fang!" I gasped, his face had a bluish tint to it, and his skin was ice cold. Please be okay, Fang…"Iggy, can you carry him for an hour or two?"

"Sure," He murmured. "But where are we going?"

"My mom's house," I said sternly, standing up.

**-x-x-x-x-**

**MUWAHAHAHA! You guys get to figure out what it is that is wrong with Fang in the next chapter. But I'm not exactly sure when I'll update that…hmmm…any guesses as to what's making Fang ill?**


	7. Chapter 07

Ugh

**Ugh. Something bad is going to happen today—all my joints hurt. Well, last night I was asked via e-mail to write an editorial in the school paper. A few years ago, someone wrote an article about the smoking in the bathrooms and the principal told them not to publish it and threatened the girl with expulsion. Well, recently my dad has had many meetings with her about problems with the dress code (We're currently under a ridiculous Standard Mode of Dress—SMOD—which is only legal because they don't call it "uniforms") and she denied that that even happened and said something like "We don't stop students from publishing what they want. Well, now she can't stop me from publishing anything I want –as long as it's legal, I guess…**

**EDIT: Someone asked if the 14****th****'s Lullaby was from the anime. Yup. Check it out on YouTube, you can find it in episode 90 or 92. It's more commonly found as "The Musician's Score", but "The 14****th****'s Lullaby" is what they call it in Japan. They currently put the anime on hiatus because they're catching up with the manga. (I hope, that's the rumor anyways) Much to my displeasure (and my sister's) They ended it with Krory waking up from his coma. Just like that. No Chibi Kanda and Lavi, no Long-haired-sexy-ass Allen Walker (I have a thing for him XD)**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride, and I own this lint ball. Yay lint ball. I shall name it Jeffery**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Chapter 7**

I paced around the kitchen, the anxiety making me itch. We had gotten there about thirty minutes ago, but one look at him and Dr. Martinez had us separated. She took Fang, with the help of Iggy, and placed him in a guest bedroom on one side of the house while she banished the rest of us—Iggy joined us as soon as he had Fang on the bed—to the kitchen on the other end.

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor," Ella stated flatly, looking bored out of her mind. She sat at the table, head resting in her hand.

I shot her a glare. "I just don't know what it could be. Pneumonia maybe?"

"Possibly," Angel whispered.

"Sit," Iggy commanded, pointing to and empty chair next to him. "You're giving me a migraine and I can't even see you!"

Reluctantly, I obeyed, giving my tired feet some rest so that in five or ten minutes I could continue my pacing. But just as I was about to proceed with my plan, Dr. Martinez emerged from the hall way and I shot up to a standing position.

"You guys can't see him yet. What he has is highly contagious. How updated are you guys on your shots?"

I laughed. "Updated? I'm not even sure we've ever _had _shots. I mean, I've had my tetanus shot—" I smiled at her, "—but the rest of them haven't had any."

"Alright, until you're vaccinated, you cannot go see him."

"What exactly does he have?" I asked. I sat down in my chair, not wanted to be standing up if she said he had cancer or something. But wait, cancer wasn't contagious, right?

She took a deep breath. "He has the Spanish Influenza. I don't think anyone has had it since 1918, but they say it originated from birds and then mutated and infected humans. It had symptoms kind of like pneumonia, but not exactly that. Over all, it killed over 100 million people globally."

My jaw dropped. "So Fang's going to…"

"No," She shook her head quickly. "I've given him a high dose of the vaccine—nearly twice what I should have. There's a 90 percent chance he'll live."

"But a 10 percent chance he'll die," I whispered. Unbelievable. How could he get a disease that no one has had for nearly a hundred years?

"Yes, but I doubt he will. It was mild."

"I thought viruses attacked little kids and seniors," Iggy commented quietly.

"Yeah," Dr. Martinez responded. "That's true in most cases. But the Spanish Flu was unique. It attacked young adults more because the illness caused an overreaction in the immune system which is what caused the radical symptoms."

"Oh."

"When can we see him?" I asked quietly.

"Well." She pulled out her car keys. "Ella will stay with him while I take you guys to the clinic and get you all vaccinated." **(AN: Okay, there is no real vaccine in life, but in this story, there is. And in this story, the vaccine is also used on other animals too, aight? Just go with it. If you're confused, just PM me or review or whatever and I'll see what I can do. Any other thing you read about the Spanish Flu is this story is true and factual to my current knowledge.)**

The car ride there was quiet. Or, if it wasn't, I didn't notice. Fang was sick. Fang was _dying_. My mind raced through fake visions of what could happen. Futures that had a chance of succeeding in dominating me. Fang could die. Then what? What would I do without him? He was my Prozac. He was what kept me sane in times of complete chaos. He gave me hope when things seemed bad.

But after I realized what I was thinking, I felt like crying. The rest of my flock was just as important and I'm acting like it would be the end of the world if one died. Of course, don't get me wrong, it would be, but I couldn't just shut down. Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel would all need me still. I couldn't give up.

I felt something in my hand and looked at it. A hand. My eyes trailed the arm up to the body, then to the face. Angel. She smiled.

"It'll be okay," she reassured me and I felt even worse. She was listening to me ramble on about the world ending and how I thought I didn't care about them anymore. Jeez, if I were them, I'd slap me. I'm so selfish.

I hadn't noticed that we'd arrive back at the house. When had I gotten my shot?

"You mean you didn't notice?" Angel whispered, laughing. "Wow, Max."

"Alright," Dr. Martinez called out attention as we piled into the living room. Ella appeared at the doorway, a weak smile on her lips. She yawned and I looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was way past her bedtime. Way past the flocks bedtime. I did a quick check of them. Iggy looked fine, but Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel looked like they were about to pass out.

"We should make this kind of quick," I muttered to her, motioning toward the flock. She nodded.

"Okay, I'd like to keep Fang quarantined from you guys for another—" she glanced at the clock and did some calculations in her head. "—for the next 10 hours or so. That way the vaccine can take effect and will no longer be contagious."

The flock nodded. I stayed still. I didn't want to make promises I knew I wouldn't be able to keep.

After a pause of silence, I made my decision. "Alright guys, you're about to pass out," I muttered, forcing a laugh. I made myself think of things other than Fang so that Angel wouldn't catch on to me. I knew I would have trouble sleeping tonight. What with my body so used to watch shifts.

Dr. Martinez brought in some extra blankets and two sleeping bags so that two or three of us could sleep in the two couches and the recliner and two would sleep on the floor. Fine by me. Gazzy took the recliner while Nudge and Angel occupied the couch. That left Iggy and me on the floor. I moved my sleeping bag as far away from him as possible without him noticing, so that he wouldn't hear me.

About a few hours later, I knew everyone was asleep. As quiet as I could, I rolled out of the sleeping bag and tiptoed down the hallway and straight into Fang's room. I looked around. He was lying on top of the blankets. Awake.

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Hmm…kill Fang? Let him live? Dunno… The next chapter should have a bit of fluff in it. PLEASE review!**


	8. Chapter 08

Yay

**Yay! I gots lots a reviews last chapter! This one is a bit longer because when I wrote it I couldn't find a stopping point. I may not be able to post tomorrow morning because I have a lot going on. I was supposed to memorize a monologue for Drama, write an editorial for the newspaper, finish my Pre Calc homework and start on the midterm study guide, and I have to stay after school for Honors US. History remediation (extra credit!)**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Maximum Ride, James Patterson does, and he is one lucky dude…**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Chapter 8**

I shut the door as quietly as I could. Was it the lighting or was Fang…_glaring_ at me?

"What?" I whispered innocently.

"Go away. If you stay in here and get sick, I'll murder you."

"Kind of harsh, don't you think?" I asked, sitting cross-legged on the floor next to him. He winced as he pushed himself so that he was leaning against the wall on the other side of the bed—as far away from me as he could get.

"Did Dr. Martinez tell you exactly what it is that I have?" He snapped.

"Yes," I hissed back. "She did. She also told me she gave you a vaccine. Well, she vaccinated me and the rest of the flock. It's fine." He sighed.

"Like I said, if you get sick…" he trailed off.

There was a long pause and I just looked him over in the moonlight. He was a lot less pale, but his cheeks were still tinted red.

"How are you feeling?" I asked quietly.

He hesitated.

"Don't _even _say 'I'm fine'.," I growled.

"Everything hurts. Not bad, just, everything in my body aches. Dr. Martinez told me that, back in 1918, the aches that I'm feeling was full-fledged pain often described as being so bad that if felt like bones were breaking. So, I guess I got off lucky."

"Other than that?"

"I'm fine," he smirked. "Other than that."

"Good." I folded my arms on top of the bed and laid my head down, still looking up at him.

"Max, maybe you should…" I gave him a glare that made him switch thoughts. I was not leaving. Nope. I was going to stay in here until he fell asleep. That made me think. What would I have done if I had come in here and he was asleep? I would have probably just checked him over before going back and going to an attempted sleep. "How are _you _feeling?"

"I'm fine." My mind dusted over the memories and I scrunched up my face, willing myself not to think about it again. Then I remembered one sharp detail like a splinter. When they put me in the tank…I was naked. I lifted my head and glanced at the fabric that I was dressed in. Oh, jeez. "Who…" I felt myself blush.

"Who what?"

I took a deep breath. "Who dressed me?" He blushed too—that was new…

"Nudge," he whispered. He paused and I thought that was it. Again, for the second time in my life, I was wrong about that. "Are you sure you're okay? Because seeing you in there, like that, it was…"

"I'm fine." I glanced down at my leg and groaned.

"What is it?" his voice panged with concern, even in a whisper.

"Iggy's gunna have to break my leg soon."

"Well, if you don't wanna limp when you walk," Fang said, trying to lighten the mood.

It worked. I flicked his foot and he jerked it away.

"You're hands are cold!" he complained. I grabbed his foot. "Quit it or I'll kick you out!" When did he become so soft? I suppose we'd all become soft over the years—different.

I stood up and stretched, content. Fang was going to live. He was already bouncing back. A lot quicker than when he'd had surgery when we were fourteen. Damn. He didn't need surgery because of this illness. I still needed to get revenge for the whole valium thing back then. Maybe he forgot about it. One could only hope.

I headed for the door.

"Talk to Nudge, tomorrow," Fang said randomly.

"What?" I stopped and turned around, walking back over to the bed. "Why?"

"Back at the School," he mumbled, staring out the window by the foot of the bed. "I was coughing up blood. I tried not to let Iggy know, but Nudge saw. She didn't say anything about it to anyone, so I think she might feel bad, knowing her. She was probably scared." I nodded slowly.

"_I _was scared," I confessed with a sigh, sitting down on the edge of the bed and rubbing my tired eyes. I hadn't done this whole admittance-of-emotions thing, but it's become a lot more frequent lately. Oh yeah, I was so growing soft over the years.

"I was, too," he whispered. And so was he. "I thought we were done with them." He took a deep breath and then looked up at me. His eyes were deep and reflected brightly in the light of the full moon. "What did they want with you this time? Did they say?"

I shook my head. "They replaced the chip," I muttered, my fingertips brushing the raised pink scar along my arm. They had put it in the other arm this time.

"Great," Fang groaned. "Please don't try to cut this one out."

I scowled at him. "Not going to. I figured out what it is and it's harmless. It's tracking the changes my body makes. Things like how I react to environmental changes and such. Nothing particularly bad."

"It could still be sending information to the School. If that's the case, then it could also double as a tracer."

Good freaking point. Dammit. Why was everything so complicated? There were too many 'what if's in the word.

"After I was in the tank and they had run some tests, they were going to do a much larger experiment on me." I shuddered. What they had planned, I hadn't figured out and I didn't want to ever figure it out, either.

"It's good thing we busted you out, then, huh?" He asked, flashing a brief grin. But behind that I could see the fear twinkling in his eyes.

"Yeah," I said flatly, reminded. "Would you _please _explain your bone-head plan, because I'm failing to understand exactly what went on."

"You want me to start where exactly?"

"When I was…taken."

"Okay." He took a deep breath and adjusted himself against the wall. "I posted on the blog that you were kidnapped and we followed some false leads for months. Then we finally got a hit. Some guy in Minnesota said that he'd seen some news story on some chopper that crash-landed a few miles from him. Locals had said they'd seen werewolves after it crashed, but those were just rumors. So we flew up, just in case."

"Erasers," I mumbled.

He nodded. "So the flock and I devised a plan that had a high chance of you getting out—"

"And getting caught has a high chance…how?"

He threw a glare at me and continued. "So we decided that Iggy and I—the largest of our group—would get caught and plant a bomb on the inside white Angel stayed outside with Nudge and the Gasman. Nudge was unsure of how she could help, so she stayed out, but Gazzy was to plant a bomb near the fence on the outside. Turns out Nudge was needed on the inside, but it worked out alright."

"Yeah," I muttered, imagining everything that had gone on while I was away. Seems like they did okay without me. Their plan worked perfectly.

"But our plan _was_ flawed," Fang said suddenly, as if reading my mind. "Iggy's leg is broken and torn apart. We didn't think things completely through."

"But it worked. I'm here, aren't I?"

"We got you thrown into that tank early," Fang stated sadly.

"Yeah, two days early. Hardly any difference."

"Who knows what they did to you," he argued.

"God, Fang," I said, aggravated. "Would you just take a 'job well done' like a man and shut up? Not all plans are going to come out exactly like you want. And, as long as you succeed, take the consequences in stride."

He shifted so that he was lying on his stomach, his head on the pillow, and he sighed. "How do you do it?" He asked softly.

"Do what?" I asked, moving so that I was sitting n the floor again, my arms folded on the bed so that I could rest my head a bit. Escaping from the School, worrying about Fang, and finding out that he'd gotten a ninety-year-old disease was tiring.

"Lead as perfectly as you do?" His eyelids fluttered shut and I saw exactly how tired he looked, despite the fact that he had just been sleeping for almost two hours. Maybe he hadn't gotten any sleep at the School at all. It's possible.

"I have this friend. He's an amazing little helper," I chuckled.

He placed his hand over mine and said, "I gotta meet this guy," before falling asleep. I glanced out the window and saw the sun just beginning to rise.

**-x-x-x-x-**

**So, review. People seemed really serious when they threatened me not to kill Fang. O.o Kinda creepy.**

**Anyone here listen to Emilie Autumn? I forgot to put up at the top that I need to finish my painting of her but I'm too lazy to scroll up and WHY WON'T ANYONE UPDATE THEIR FANFICTIONS DAMMIT?! I'M SO LOST WITHOUT THEM! –sob-**


	9. Chapter 09

I am so PISSED

**I am so PISSED! I watch Lincoln Heights and they just killed off my favorite character! (Not to mention they replaced Ruben's actor…) SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET! But when Eddie came in looking the way he did right after Ruben left and the Drive-by happened, I was like "Yes! Ruben's dead!" then he was like "Johnny's dead." I was like "NO! SCREW YOU TELEBISION!" (Yes, I said telebision.) My sister was crying for an hour. I'm still mad…Johnny was like, an African American version of my dream guy. He was so sweet and nice. But now, Lizzie deserves that the little whore…END SPOILERS!!**

**Sorry this chapter is so short, I'm writing an editorial at the same time and this is the last of what I have typed. But we have early release today, so you may get another chapter today if you guys review enough XD.**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, but I own three of Evanescence's CDS! WOOT WOOT!**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Chapter 9**

"There she is," someone muttered. I kept my eyes shut. Come on, five more minutes. Everything was quiet for a few seconds before I felt arms around me, picking me up. About a minute later, I was placed on something soft—the couch?—and people started mumbling around me.

"Should we do it while she's asleep?" A female voice—Nudge?

"Yeah." Iggy. Definitely Iggy. He was the only other male with a deep voice—deeper than Fang's.

"I don't think we should—it's gunna hurt." Gasman, by process of elimination.

Hurt?

"Shouldn't we have Dr. Martinez knock her out first and correct it herself—she's the expert!" Nudge again.

"She went to work. Besides, she's awake and listening to us," Angel told them.

I opened my eyes and smiled. Iggy was standing over me, flanked by Gazzy and Nudge, while Angel and Ella stood behind the couch. "You guys weren't planning to do something to me like, break my leg, were you?" I asked, sitting up.

"Yeah, they were," Nudge grumbled, crossing her arms and glaring at Iggy.

"That's just cruel, Iggy," I said.

"They!?" Gazzy exclaimed. "I didn't wanna do it either. Iggy was the only one."

"Well," I stood up, heading for the kitchen. "I'm definitely not letting Dr. Martinez give me valium."

"Come on," Ella laughed. "That was funny. Fang got a kick out of it, too."

"What?" Iggy and the others looked confused. Angel giggled as blurbs of the memory flashed through my eyes.

I spun and glared at the two of them. "You'd be smart never to mention that ever again. Both of you."

"Hey," Ella laughed, holding up her hands. "You said something about it first. I was just commenting."

"And I have no idea what was going on. I just heard you confess—" My hand landed over Angel's mouth and I felt her lips curve up into an apologetic smile. I rolled my eyes and, when I was sure she wouldn't continue, I removed it.

Food. My stomach growled loudly as I hunted for cereal. Once I was sitting at the table with my lucky charms, I noticed the look Iggy was giving me. Like I was one of his more difficult bombs. **(AN: I AM magical, AND delicious! So NYA!)**

"What?" I asked slowly and his brow furrowed.

"I'm trying to think of a way to break your leg without it hurting so much," he mumbled. "Because of where you broke it at, it's going to be extremely painful."

"What about_ your _leg?" I asked, suddenly remembering. "Yours was broken, too." If mine was going to hurt like mad, maybe I could break Iggy's and get away with it. I crossed my fingers.

He grinned. "Mine healed correctly while we were still in the School." Damn.

I sighed and stood up, rinsing out my bowl in the sink and heading for the living room. Again, everyone followed me. My little support team. Angel sat next to me and gripped my hand while Gazzy and Nudge stood wearily behind Iggy. Ella didn't want to see, so she stepped out onto the porch. I put my leg up on the coffee table. Everything from my hip to my kneecap was fine, but after that, the bone went straight until you came to the break, the skin raised where the bone healed crookedly.

"Go for it," I began, but stopped when I saw a dark figure coming down the hallway.

"What are you doing?" Fang asked suspiciously.

"We're playing a game," I told him, trying to make the mood softer in light of what we were about to do. "Iggy breaks my leg and then I get to punch him in the face. Then I break someone's leg and they punch Iggy in the face. Then they break someone else's leg and punch Iggy in the face, et cetera."

"I feel abused," Iggy muttered.

Fang walked around and sat on my other side.

"Should you be up?" I asked him.

"I'm fine," he stressed. He _looked _fine. His skin was still a palish-olive, but the hectic speckles on red were off his cheeks and his eyes were a lot clearer.

"Alright." I took a deep breath and held it. Iggy's cold hands lingered above my leg, memorizing the contours of the break. He placed on hand right above the break and one hand below it, turning to place his sightless blue eyes on me.

"Ready?" I nodded vigorously, trying not to let my fear show on my face. Nodding was good. My fear couldn't make it crack or sound funny. He took a deep breath. "On three—" Oh, crap. Three usually meant—"One!"

My scream filled the house as the audible snap filled my ears.

Iggy smiled sheepishly at me. "Sorry, might have overdone it a little tiny bit." He proceeded to set it.

"Ya think?" I ground out, really truly wanting to knock him in the face. I slammed my head against the back of the couch as he created a splint and wrapped up my leg, willing myself not to cry. We had _really _gotten softer over the years. Three years ago and this break would have felt like a paper cut.

I was vaguely aware of Fang's hand in mine.

"Next time," I panted, reaching for the glass of water Nudge held out to me. "Next time, _I'll _break my own damn leg."

"You broke it in the first place," Iggy muttered.

"I did not," I snapped.

The front door opened and we heard Ella come back in.

"Hey Max." She glanced at my leg and worry flew across her face in many forms. "I'm assuming your all done…" She said as calmly as she could, like people broke me leg everyday.

"Those darn cereal boxes should come with a warning label," I mumbled sarcastically. My sarcasm seemed to be on auto-pilot lately.

Ella rolled her eyes and looked at Iggy. "Are you gunna make dinner?" she asked hopefully, and Iggy blushed.

"Uh, sure." He muttered something about wires and such and left the room, followed by the Gasman.

Ella held up her phone at me. Or rather, Fang.

"Mom called while I was outside. Told me to make sure you were still quarantined for the next two hours." She grinned.

"Five minutes," Fang muttered, and then yawned, as he headed back down the hallway. "I left for five minutes."

"How long was he really out for?" Ella whispered to me and I glanced at the clock.

"Three minutes. Just long enough for Iggy to fix my leg."

"Mmhmm," she pondered. "And how long did you stay in his room for last night?" I blushed and she, along with Angel and nudge, laughed.

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Okay, so now I go read some fics. For anyone who likes Maximum Ride fanfics (XD) I suggest you search "Wings of Wrath". It's in my favorites. It's an amazing fanfic and has over 120 chapters. And it's not finished yet. PM me and I'll send you a link if you want via e-mail or PM or review reply.**


	10. Chapter 10

Okay, anyone see that Supernatural

**Okay, anyone see that Supernatural? XD OMFG! That was THE funniest thing I have EVER seen! That was DEFINITELY my favorite episode. **

**-cat jumps out of locker and Dean screams like a girl- "That was scary!"  
**

**My favorite part was either the "I Quit" speech her made to Sam, or the blooper at the end. XD**

**IT'S THE EYE OF THE TIGER!!**

**You could hear Sam and the director laughing off camera. That is just one of the so very many reason's I want to be a director!**

**But according to my jackass friend, I can't because I haven't seen the "classics" such as The Godfather and because I can quote full scenes from The Lion King…**

**And sorry I didn't update, I have midterms tomorrow and I still need to learn another 45 seconds of My Immortal on the piano so my friend and I can practice.**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Disclaimer**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Chapter 10 (Author sniffles. We're in double digits now. I'm so proud.)**

Half an hour later I was sitting on the couch next to Fang, who got bored in his room again, flipping through the channels. Nothing was on. It was Wednesday. Nothing was ever on until late on Wednesdays. It was like, _everything _came on at 8PM on Tuesdays, Mondays, Saturdays, and Thursdays. And, of course, there's football on Sundays. **(AN: I DO NOT watch football, but…GO GIANTS XD!) **But, there is _never _anything on all day on Wednesdays and Fridays.

I sighed. Boredom was nearly painful.

My eyes lifted naturally when Fang stood up, and widened as he fell down.

--x--

**Fang's POV**

I stood up from my place on the couch and the room spun. Millions of colors and lights clouded my vision and vaguely, like faint background music, somewhere I registered Max's voice.

When things steadied, relief filled me when I learned that I had not fallen. If Max had seen me fall, she'd get all worried about me, and then when I was actually feeling a lot better, she would make fun of me.

But right now, not so much. My head still hurt like crap and my joints ached.

I stared in confusion as Max walked around the room slowly, hunched over and glaring at the floor.

"What are you doing?" I asked flatly. She glanced at me then continued walking around.

"That spider," she pointed at the floor, "owes me money."

What? Did she just claim that a bug owes her money? Why would a bug need money? Why would she lend a bug money? Never mind that, would a bug _need _money?

I rubbed my temples and headed for my room, muttering, "I'm going to go take a nap."

But the weirdness didn't end. As I continued my journey down the hall to my room, the Gasman burst out into the hallway, crying hysterically.

"I-Iggy c-called m-me FAT!" he wailed. Oh, jeez. What was wrong today? Who put crack in the flocks' wheaties? Maybe it was just Max and Gazzy, an illness going around.

"I need a hug," the Gasman whimpered pathetically. He held his arms out and approached me, but I ducked around him and continued a little faster to my room, locking the door behind me. The cold door felt good on my back and I sighed. Then, when I opened my eyes, I nearly groaned.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked Angel.

"I'm a little teapot," she responded with a grin.

"Angel," I sighed and held the door open for her. She got up and left. Too easy.

But who cares? I shut the door and proceeded to lie down on the bed. The moments of silence seemed to drag on beautifully until something hit me in the head. I moaned and looked at my attacker.

"Iggy, please, just go away," I mumbled, wondering why the heck he was wearing an army hat and flicking frootloops at me. He _did _have good aim for a blind guy, though. What was everyone doing today? This had to be a joke, right? "Iggy, are you on drugs?"

Iggy's eyes shifted around the room and he whispered, "No, are you?" He glared at me through narrowed eyes.

I sighed. This had to just be a reaction to the vaccine. But why wasn't I acting strange. Probably because I had had the actual sickness…

"I DECLARE A THUMB WAR!" Max screamed from the other side of the house.

"What he she doing?" I asked mainly myself, but Iggy answered me.

"She's in the middle of an epic battle with a spider." **(And that's why my tights weren't dry in time for ballet last night!)**

"Just leave," I snapped, suddenly annoyed. When he didn't leave, I stood up to kick his skinny white ass out, when my foot caught on the carpet and I went flying into the corner of the small desk. I couldn't tell what happened after that—everything faded away.

--x--

**Max POV**

Fang's eyes fluttered and I sighed in relief when his dark irises were finally visible, staring straight at me. But they _way _he looked at me was strange. Like when you do something totally stupid.

"Are you finally sane?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head with a yawn.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Is your epic battle with the spider over?"

Was he on drugs? "What spider?"

"The one that owes you money."

Yes. Yes, he was. He was definitely on _something_.

"Fang, maybe you should relax for a bit," Iggy said, attempting to hold back a laugh.

"Wait, what happened?" Fang asked, suspicion crawling into his voice.

"We were watching T.V. and you stood up and passed out cold. Hit your head on the table," I explained.

"Oh jeez," Fang mumbled, standing up slowly. "I'm going to go take a nap." He headed for his room but stopped and turned to everyone who was staring at him. "You all just stay here."

"Who put crack in his wheaties?" the Gasman asked in my voice. I spun around and smacking him upside the head.

**-x-x-x-x-**

**There. You get a short, filler chapter for no one but two people reviewing. In case you couldn't tell, Fang was hallucinating/dreaming.**

**Now, no updates until you review. I'll stop updating everyday if people stop reviewing. I need you to tell me how I'm doing or if there's anything you'd like to see.**

**And the Epic Battle with A Spider is a REAL event for me. It was 5:30 AM (when I write all my fanfics) and I was in the bathroom. I went to leave, but there was this little albino spider in my way so I had an epic battle with it. I left it alive so that we could battle again the next day, but I left my ballet tights on the floor and he crawled in there when I left and my mom killed him.**

**Then, a few days ago, I went to fill up a bucket with water from my bathroom to fill my Turtle Tank and there was this spider on the wall so we battled it out until my brother picked him up and threw him in the toilet. Did you know they can hold their breath for 3 minutes before they drown in there?!**

**Sorry, I kinda ranted I guess…rofl.**


	11. Chapter 11

**EDIT:: I fixed the letter problem, hope it works.**

**Sorry I didn't update—midterms were PWNED by me, as was my US History test. Now we must pray that I get a good grade in Pre Calc so that I can go to Animazement in 2009.**

**XD OMFG! That reminds me. Last year (2008) at Animazement I went as Lenalee from -Man (It was a good costume.) and at the photo shoot, one of the other Lenalee's stole a Kanda's sword and a Lavi screamed "LENALEE STOLE KANDA'S INNOCENCE!" I proceeded to scream, "LENALEE YOU'RE SO DIRTY!" And her friend, dressed as Allen yelled (the same time the only Komui did) "LENALEE! How could you?!"**

**It was awesome. If you go to my deviantart (RabidxToaster) there should be pix of my cosplay costume in there.**

**Alright, I usually don't make author's notes this long, but I need to rant a bit here:**

**DON'T STEAL MY WORK! YOU'LL REGRET IT!**

**Thank you to the reviewer who informed me that I was being plagiarized. I'm already working on a plan for this situation. If the writer of that fic is reading this: Do something about the work you stole from me. Thank you!**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Maximum Ride, but I DO own the way I word things in here, the plot, and anything that happens to the characters so, DON'T STEAL IT! And if you do, make it BETTER than what I've got here, not worse. Thank you.**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Chapter 11**

I pressed my forehead to the window again and sighed, contented. After endless minutes of my face sucking up the coolness of the window, I traveled slowly to the bedroom door and locked it before proceeded to strip down to my underwear. Once the window was open and the cold winter air touched my skin, I felt like I was in heaven.

I had woken up at two in the morning, hot as hell, and extremely uncomfortable. But the icy winter air caressing my skin helped. A LOT. **(Dude, am I the only one that thought that last sentence sounded dirty?)**

The last time I had been overly hot was when I got my super-speed. But this was different. I woke up feeling like my skin was burning off. Right now, if felt like my skin was just being lightly singed—like sitting too close to a fire and getting hit by small ashes.

I reached over, pulled my pillow onto the floor, and lay down in front of the window, hoping to fall asleep.

--x--

"Max." Someone banged on my door and I rolled over, groaning, only to squeal when my bare skin touched the ice-cold floorboards. "MAX!"

"What?" I called, my voice shaking. A draft directed me to the open window, which I immediately closed, and I was reminded of how hot I'd been.

"Breakfast," Iggy called.

"I'll be right down." I flew around my room, collecting my pajamas and putting them back on, savoring the feel of the warm fleece.

"You okay?" He called softer.

"Yeah."

He left. Thank God. I pulled the sleeves down so that it covered my fingertips and opened the door, not wanting to feel how cold the metal would be. The door swung open and I was met with Fang as he walked towards the stairs.

"Jeez, Max," he said, wrapping his arms around himself as the cold air from my bedroom hit him. "Not cold enough for you in there? If you need to warm up, just climb in the freezer."

"Put come clothes on," I snapped, smacking his bare arm. He wore nothing but a thin black short sleeve shirt, and a pair of navy flannel pajama bottoms.

He recoiled from my hit. "You're hands are still cold!"

I pulled the sleeves down again and shivered. I was cold.

As soon as the warm eggs and bacon hit the inside of my mouth, I was warm again. The hot right-off-the-stove heat burned my tongue as I shoveled more and more food into my mouth.

"Why is it so cold upstairs?" Nudge asked, rubbing her arms. She took a plate of food from Iggy and sat down.

"Max had the window open," Angel said, following Nudge's example of collecting food from Iggy and sitting at the table.

"Why did you have the window open?" Dr. Martinez scolded. "It's the middle of December!"

I glared at Angel, receiving a…well, an angelic smile in returned. **(AN: gags at the over used cliché) **

"I got hot," I mumbled with a shrug, adding more salt to my eggs. Was it a crime to be overheated in December? Maybe if the room hadn't been 80-something degrees I wouldn't have had to sit in front of the window nearly naked.

I heard Angel begin to choke on her eggs as she was eating.

"You okay?" Nudge asked, eyeing Angel as her coughing turned to laughs.

"Don't," I hissed quietly.

"What?" Fang and Nudge asked in unison.

"Don't," I said a little louder.

Angel just shook her head and began eating again. "You owe me, Max."

"Nope, I just won't skin you."

--x--

I talked to Dr. Martinez after breakfast about the chip in my arm and she told me that she would remove it as soon as she got home from work. So I waited. And waited.

Do you know how boring it can get when you're stuck at home while your little half-sister is at school and your mom is at work? Fang and Gazzy had discovered Ella's ancient PlayStation in the basement and where absorbed in that—Iggy listened. Nudge and Angel were watching old Disney movies—the classics, not these terrible "Disney Channel Original Movies". **(AN: Yes, I am one who cringes at those words ever since HSM came out and stole the plotline from Million Dollar Cook-off and Grease—trashing BOTH movies for me.)**

I got up from my chair in the kitchen—I had dubbed it "Max's Thinking Chair"—and headed for the front door when I bumped into Iggy.

"Where're you headed?" I asked.

"Lunch."

"How long 'til it's ready?" I asked, really wanting to go for a fly. Sitting indoors for the last few days was making me jittery and I was getting hot again.

"'Bout a half an hour. Why? Where are you headed?" He walked around me and opened the fridge, gently feeling around for what he needed.

I pulled on my sneakers and a light sweater. "I'm going for a quick fly. I'll try to be back for lunch."

--x--

Let's just say that the cold air in my face felt so good that I didn't make it back for lunch.

Or dinner.

Or bedtime.

But I did make it back. And only an hour after it started to snow! That was a plus!

After I snuck in through my window, I headed down the stairs as quietly as I could to put my sweater in the hall closet and my shoes by the door.

"I swear, if you get pneumonia, I'm going to kill you. What were you thinking!?" Someone hissed behind me, making me jump. I spun around, fist out to punch anyone behind me, but Fang caught my arm.

"Jeez!" I growled, pushing him gently away from me so that I could walk down the narrow hallway towards the stairs. "You scared the crap outta me!"

"You scared the crap out of us!" Fang followed me up the stairs.

"Where the hell did you go for seven hours?" His hand pushed the door back open when I attempted to slam it in his face.

"If you must know, I just went for a fly."

"Just?"

"Yes. I got hot again."

"Max," he said, but stopped when I yawned. "We'll talk in the morning."

"Sure," I mumbled, shutting my door. I'd just have to ask Angel for a little favor. He didn't need to know that I went flying for, like, three hours almost nude.

**-x-x-x-x-**

**This story will not contain lemons. I may IMPLY later on in the story, but for now—no lemons for you.**

**As for the thief—I gots my eye on you! O_-**

**Now, Paper Clip says REVIEW!**

**Paper Clip is the name of my pet plastic pickle**


	12. Chapter 12

I SEE YOU

**I SEE YOU**

**YOU SEE ME**

**I got too much Candy Pop in me**

**Chimmimi-in**

**Rum**

**Diggy**

**Jewels**

**Brother HI**

**On this TS's track**

**HERE WE GO!**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, because I am not THAT awesome XD. I also do not claim the song above (Candy Pop by Heartsdales feat. SOUL'D OUT)**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Chapter 12**

I knew that I was going to have a bad day as soon as I woke up. Hot. That's how I woke up. Burning hot. But it was later than the past nights. I had been waking up at three in the morning, but today, I woke up when Iggy called for breakfast at nine.

"Yo, Max! I'm getting a little tired of waking you up every morning," he joked. I jerked the door out of my way and glared at Iggy. I flicked him in the forehead so that he knew I was awake. "Breakfast in ten."

I grunted and headed down the hall towards Angel's room. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, grinning up at me. I seated myself on the edge of the bed.

"Hey, Max," she greeted me with a grin.

"I need a favor," I muttered. I replayed Fang's conversation from the previous night in my head so she could understand. "I need you to persuade Fang to…forget all of that."

"Come on, Max," She said seriously. "You can't hide it forever. There's something _wrong _if you're getting that hot in December. Maybe you should have Dr. Martinez check you out."

"Sure, when she removes the chip, I'll have her do that. But you need to get Fang to forget—" She stood up and headed for the door, a devious little grin on her face.

"No can do, Max. I love you, but it gets boring around here."

I was going to smack her. I was going to murder this little child. Age nine and already manipulative. Where did she learn that?

I rubbed my temples and sighed after Angel has left the room.

Great. Now what else could go wrong? Oh, I don't know, maybe Iggy neglected to wake the _rest _of the flock up. Yeah, that.

"Gazzy," I pounded on his door. "Up and at 'em. Breakfast time." I did the same for Nudge, but I paused outside of Fang's room. My heart thrummed loudly in my chest and time slowed down when I heard the doorknob twist, an audible creak echoing in the hall.

I took a step backwards to leave, but heard myself say, "Breakfast time," instead.

Fang just stared at me and I felt a shiver ripple down my spine. I was fretting over what would happen, but unsure of why. I was their fearless leader who had kicked Eraser ass many times. I've been experimented on, beaten up, and in more pain than anyone can imagine, but one of the only things that scared me was…the wrath of Fang? Oh yeah, remember how I said I was getting soft over the years?

Right.

His face was completely impassive, but the muscles in his arms were tensed.

And what did the fearless leader of the flock, _the _Maximum Ride do in this simplistic situation? I nodded and headed for the stairs.

"After breakfast…" Fang mumbled behind me.

"What about it?"

"Max, you and I both know there's something wrong." He pulled my arm and spun me around to face him. "Hell, Angel knows it. And after you pulled that stunt yesterday, everyone else in this house knows it."

"Aliright!" I snapped. I headed for the stairs muttering, "We can all sit in a circle and share out _feelings_." Fang sighed behind me.

--x--

Let's just say that sharing our feelings would have been better than what went on. Chaos. Total chaos. And it even started _before _breakfast. As soon as I set foot into the kitchen, I swear I heard a _ding-ding-ding! _sound for some boxing fight.

"Where were you yesterday?!" Dr. Martinez snapped at me. **(AN: Sorry if I made her a bit OOC, there's not enough of her in the book to accurately know how she would react to things.)**

"Out," I muttered, taking food from the counter.

"Do you know how worried everyone was?" She walked around the table and stood in front of me, her hands crossed over her chest.

I so wanted to say, "You're not my other," but, of course, she was. So instead, I said, "Since when have you started acting all motherly? You've let us live in _trees _for the last three years or so."

"Since you came home," she said easily.

"Where'd you go, anyways?" Iggy asked the question that, even though I wasn't Angel, I knew everyone was thinking it.

"North."

"Why North?" Nudge asked, taking her plate to the sink. I looked around at the curious faces staring at me. Dr. Martinez, Angel, and the Gasman sitting at the table, Fang leaning against the doorway, food in hand. Nudge and Iggy were staring at me from the sink.

Way to put the pressure on me.

I shrugged like it should have been obvious. "It's colder up North in winter than it is in Colorado." **(AN: I just realize that I made it **_**snow **_**in the last chapter, so Dr. Martinez moved to the lower right corner of Colorado because of the School knowing where they live…etc. Yeah. Just go with it.)**

Fang's eyes wordlessly told me to move on.

I looked at Dr. Martinez and said, "Can you take the chip out, and I'll tell you the rest then."

She nodded.

--x--

Fang and Iggy had come along, standing off to the side as I told Dr. Martinez what had happened.

"So I'd get really hot. So hot that it was almost painful. I went north so that it would be more comfortable."

"You should give her a physical," Fang spoke quietly. "Make sure it's not just in her head."

Dr. Martinez nodded in agreement. "Alright," She said. "Lie down here and we'll get started."

As much as I didn't want to bring it up, I felt like I had to. Iggy was there and there was absolutely _no way _I was going to embarrass myself in front of another flock member. "No valium," I said quietly, glancing at Fang. The corner of his lips twitched.

"Why not?" Fang asked, a smile in his voice. I just scowled at him.

"Is there something else you can use?" I asked, hopeful.

"Possibly. Because your arm was recently operated on, it would probably be safer to knock you out completely."

"Perfect. Do that then."

Once she was set up, she told me to count backwards from ten. I got to eight before things went fuzzy, then 4 before I went under.

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Lol. I had surgery a few years back and they told me to count. When I got to one I was like "Now what?" but I only heard a few words of what they said to me before I fell asleep.**

**Now, REVIEW! If I get reviews, I may post another chapter (this offer ends at 11:30 PM EST or EDT whatever…)**


	13. Chapter 13

XD roflmao

**XD roflmao. So I was reading my e-mail and saw a chapter update. I'm like "Ooo! Who updated!" then I see the title and I'm like "OH! I think that's a good one, what is it about again?" and so I read the description and a cold panic runs through as I recognize the words. I'm like "SON OF A GUN! SOMEONE STRAIGHT UP STOLE MY FANFIC!" so I looked at the author and realize that it was my story XD**

**Anyways…**

**Has anyone out there heard of the Maximum Ride FanFiction awards? If you wanna nominate me, go ahead, but PM me if you have a Maximum Ride fanfic cause I wanna nominate, but all I have is Liquid poison, Visit, and The Wings of Wrath nominated (cause those stories were/are AMAZING)**

**Sorry it's so short: I wanted to update but I didn't want to give away too much.**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Disclaimer: James-to-the-P-a-t-t-e-r-SON owns Maximum Ride, not Em-to-the-EE**

**Okay, that was my lamest disclaimer evur. **

**Also, I don't own an idea in this chapter, so I would like to thank kashiena for inspiring me :D**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Chapter 13**

**FPOV**

I won't lie. Part of me was sad that Max wouldn't be hyped up on valium this time. Iggy would have gotten a kick out of her behavior. I did. But I if I knew Max, then I knew what she did when she slept. All those years of experience, taking watches while she caught up on a weeks worth of sleep in three hours. Yup. Not even drugs could stop her.

So when she started talking in her sleep, I got excited. Maybe Iggy would get to experience drug-induced Max.

"She's still out, right?" Iggy asked anxiously, his fingertips brushing my arm.

"Yeah," I whispered to him. "Listen." I held back a laugh.

"Fang," Max sighed. Iggy started to laugh, but I elbowed him in the side.

"Dude," I whispered, "listen."

"What about him, Max?" I asked, leaning down so that I could whisper in her ear.

She sighed again. "So annoying."

Iggy choked back a laugh. "Is that what I was listening for?" He whispered.

I hit him upside the head.

I glanced at the operation. Dr. Martinez had a grin on her face and she was leaned over Max's arm, working carefully with a scalpel to move tissue and muscles out of the way to reach the chip.

"That's why love him," Max continued, her voice slurred and slow.

"Man," Iggy said in disbelief. "Did she do this last time, too?"

"Nah," I replied. "Last time was worse, which is why she said 'no valium'."

"I remember that," Dr. Martinez mumbled. "She loves you 'this much'."

"Oh, jeez," Iggy rubbed his eyes.

"More 'n that," Max muttered. "Love 'im more 'n that."

"How much?" Fang asked her.

"_Tons_," she replied, then yawned. Her face changed suddenly.

"What's this?" Dr. Martinez murmured to herself, fluttering around on the machines.

"What's wrong?" I asked flatly, trying to keep my calm façade perfect. Panicking didn't help any situation.

"Her temperature just jumped and her heart rate is fluctuating wildly." She scurried around the room.

I placed my hand on Max's forehead and jerked back immediately. It felt like my hand had just been burned. More shock consumed me when I glance at my hand to see small blisters on my fingertips. What the…

Dr. Martinez reached out to do the same thing I had done, probably to check and see if the machine was correct. I slapped her hand away and she gave me a strange, panicked look.

"Don't touch her!" I said quickly, holding up my slightly burned hand. The burn was nothing more than something you'd get from sitting in the sun for too long without sunscreen.

"Go get ice!" she commanded and I ran off to get some from a freezer behind the desk in the waiting room.

When I got back, Dr. Martinez had ripped out every wire that had been connected to Max. I began to strategically place bags of ice and icepacks on Max.

"Where'd Iggy go?" I asked, looking for him.

"He went home to run an ice bath for her. We need to get her there; nothing we have here will work." She sounded almost apologetic. It wasn't her fault that a vet can't always accommodate and Avian-human.

I pulled a thin sheet off a shelf behind me, it being the only thing I could find, and I wrapped Max's body and the ice up in it as carefully as I could without touching her. But I accidentally brushed the back of her neck when I went to pick her up and found that she had cooled down some—I wasn't burned, just red.

We raced home to find a confused flock sitting in the living room, their faces going from confused to utterly frightened when I raced by with an unconscious Max in my arms.

In the bathroom, Iggy has ran the water as cold as he could and put every bit of ice and every icepack he could find in the water.

We placed Max in the tub, clothes and all—she'd kill us if we stripped her down. Her body let out an involuntary shudder. I placed my hand on her forehead and then her cheek. Much, much better.

Dr. Martinez sighed in relief. "Alright. Disaster averted."

"For now," I mumbled.

--x--

**MPOV**

I was suddenly aware. It was different from waking up. It was like you just all of a sudden popped into existence. Like you wake up from a dreamless sleep that's only left you tired.

I felt someone's hand, ice cold, brushing my cheek and I immediately flinched away from it.

"You really awake this time?" A male voice asked.

I pried my eyes open to be met with Iggy's sightless blue ones.

"Yeah," I croaked and he handed me a glass of ice water, which I sat up and downed in record time.

"Fang and I are betting again and since I really wanna win, I'm going to play dirty."

I held up my hand to halt him for a second while I swallowed. "Is this anything that he'll kill you for?"

"Possibly, probably, and most definitely, but he's played dirty, too."

I quirked and eyebrow and, as if sensing my confusion, he elaborated without me even asking him to do so.

"Let's just say that Nudge stabbed me with a fork…"

"I don't wanna know," I muttered. If there was something Iggy had done to make Nudge _stab _him, I didn't want to know. At all.

"Well, Fang was talking to you in your sleep," he blurted. "While Dr. Martinez was operating, Fang got you to confess to him."

My face heated up. Embarrassment and anger surged through me like lightning. Someone was gunna die…

**-x-x-x-x-**

**I apologize if this chapter had mistakes in it, I'm just too lazy to re-read it.**

**Who can tell me where the following lyrics came from?**

**You've asked me out on many dates  
And took me to exotic places.  
Saw the look upon your face  
You men must really love to chase us.  
I'm gunna let you have it,  
Like you never had before  
So take me  
Take me  
Take me.  
Tonight  
Lightning strikes.  
Let's go, into (word blocked due to the fact it would give it away)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Eh, sorry it's kinda late. I just got writers' lock but tonight at dinner, the way I was holding my bun and fork sparked an interesting conversation between Max and the flock.**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Disclaimer: What do I own? Nothing. But I DO own your soul…and your attention right now…pwnage…pwnage…**

**-x-x-x-x-**

**Chapter 14**

**MPOV**

I decided to scare him. As much as possible. He knew I knew what he'd done the minute I saw him. It started out soon after I'd woken up and gone downstairs for food. He'd asked me a question, I ignored him. Dr. Martinez asked me the _same _question, I answered.

It wasn't until dinner that I said anything to him—or even looked at him. I sat there, fork in one hand, dinner roll in the other, glaring daggers at him. I chewed slowly and I sore I saw him blush two or three times, but it was hard to tell when he wouldn't look at me.

The entire family sat in silence, the only sounds being forks on plates or quick, quiet murmurs to one another.

Finally, after minutes of awkward silence, Fang sat up straight in his chair. "Would it be of any consolation if I told you that you were the one who started talking first? I mean, you said my name first—ask Iggy."

"Dude," Iggy said quickly before I could say anything. "Don't pull me into this."

"What, you scared?" Nudge teased.

"Of you and that fork? Yes. Of Max, _hell _yes. Of Fang? Who is…" I had a feeling that a testosterone fueled brawled would begin after dinner.

"Max, I—" Fang started.

"Don't," I snapped, "say _anything_ to me right now. What you did was an invasion of privacy, not to mention rude."

"Angel does it everyday," Gazzy shrugged. I threw him a look and he immediately hunched over his plate and hurried to finish. So the rest of the flock knew, too.

"I don't tell other people things I hear unless absolutely necessary and or funny," she grinned.

"And unlike _you_," I said, glaring at Fang. "She knows when it's appropriate."

"Like now," she said happily. "When both Ella and Nudge want to go to this rave thing tonight." She shrugged and continued eating. "Whatever that is."

"No," I said flatly to Nudge the same time Dr. Martinez said no to Ella.

"Why not?" They both whinned.

"Just," I sighed, taking my plate to the sink. "No."

"Max," Fang called as I tried to leave the kitchen. I stopped but didn't turn to him. "Although it's happened before, and you do know you talk in your sleep, you should know you didn't say anything I didn't already know, right? And it wasn't really my fault, though I know I shouldn't have egged you on the way I did. I won't say I'm sorry because that would mean that things went wrong, which they didn't. Not that I'm not sorry you're mad at me, just that I'm not sorry about what I did because given the chance I most likely wouldn't change anything but the wording of some of the things I said beforehand."

A silence befell the room and I actually turned to stare him.

"Dude," Iggy said finally. "That was like—"

"An entire paragraph!" the Gasman exclaimed. Even Dr. Martinez was surprised. Nudge and Ella's jaws were dropped, but Angel was looking at everyone's shocked faces.

Angel laughed. "You don't hear the things he thinks in his mind, it's like a book." Fang kicked her under the table.

I just continued to walk down the hall, my mind blank. I didn't know what to think.

--x--

I sat on the bed, my head against the wall. I watched the late sun setting, the lines the light drew on the wall moving in different directions by the second.

How could Fang do that to me? He knew _why _I'd said no valium. He knew, yet he thought it would be funny to…or did he? Did he really think it was funny? Or was he just trying to learn the truth? I scratched my head and groaned. I knew the most about Fang, but I didn't know the answer to this and that's what bugged me the most.

A knock on my bedroom door pulled me from my thoughts and before I even answered it I knew who it was.

"They snuck out," Angel said flatly. She didn't like ratting out Nudge, I knew she didn't, but she'd taken Ella with her and they were both way too young to be at a rave. Not to mention the trouble Nudge could get in, inevitably hurting Ella if something were to happen.

--x--

The pulsing music blasted my sensitive hearing and I was wincing slightly with each beat ejected from the speakers. The lights pounded in a similar beat and bodies all around me jumped and moved with them.

I pushed through the sweating bodies until I found the one I was looking for. But what I found horrified me. I didn't even know Nudge knew how to dance like that. Let alone with a guy. Nudge was grinding some guy whose hands were getting closer and closer to being ripped off by me. I reached over and yanked her by a strap on her tank top, glaring at the guy.

"What are you doing here?" I screamed over the music—a loud, foreign song. My eyes skimmed over the bodies. They hand their hands near theirs heads and were all doing the same strange dance. "And what is with this song?"

"It's a rave," she shouted back, swaying to the music. "This song is called Caramell Dansen—it's Swedish and all over YouTube!"

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" I ground out again.

"Enjoying myself," she replied flatly.

Someone grabbed my arm and I spun around, ready for a fight. He held his hand out in a small gesture.

"He's asking you for a dance," Nudge giggled in my ear.

Asking wasn't exactly what I would have chosen based on his actions after that. More like, letting-me-know-that-he'd-be-dancing-with-me-whether-I-wanted-to-or-not. He pulled me to a vacant little area in the cluster of people and began to dance. I stood, not moving.

"You don't dance?" he asked.

"No," I replied. But he just took my hand and spun me around, and I knew what he wanted from me. But his arms locked tightly around my waist and, still being slightly sick, I couldn't pull away. I could feel the tears calling, threatening to build in my eyes then spill down my cheeks. I swallowed and demanded that not happen. But I needed to take control of the situation for that to happen.

"Stop!" I shouted to him, but my voice was lost in the music.

Actually, I didn't need to do anything. I saw him enter the room. He locked eyes with me and I hoped he couldn't see the fear in mine like I saw the anger in his. I tried to push away and, thankfully, the grinder let me go. But I had to feel bad for him. Fang stormed up and clocked him in the face without so much as an uttered sound.

"Let's go," he hissed my ear, tugging me through the circle of people that had formed and toward the door, dragging Nudge—Angel was dragging Ella—along with us.

"Don't be mad at me!" I snapped. "I'm not here of my free will. Do you think I'd wear sweats to a rave?"

"Max," he started.

I waved him off, getting a bit hot again. I took off my sweatshirt and handed it to Nudge. "I'll see you back at the house," I grumbled when we were outside and took of for an alley.

**-x-x-x-x-**

**So if you DON'T review….I'll kill someone in this fic.**

**My choices:**

**Max  
Iggy  
Nudge  
Angel  
**

**Dun dun dun….**


	15. Chapter 15

**HAHAHA How many of you want me dead? Eh, doesn't matter.**

**Reasons I haven't written:  
1. I got "involved" with a boy. Oh yeah, the first guy I've liked since I was 10. That was 7, almost 8 years ago. Well, I was writing this fic in class one day and I was describing Fang out loud and my friend says, "Ew, are you writing a story about Nick?" Horrified, I realized that that was who I saw when I thought of Fang. Sad, right? That was in May. Over the summer we worked together. And let me tell you—any job that lets you sit, read for 5 hours, and watch Nick and his equally hot friends Josh and Brett and Brandon walk around with their shirts off, sunglassezs on….mmmmmmmm….But in November we REALLY got tight but he did something and I reacted poorly and it ended in him losing all trust in me. But I found out something: He was a boy. He tried to convince me that abstinence is bullshit. Let me tell you guys the one thing I learned: No future is worth ruining because of a boy, and a MAN wouldn't want to. A MAN would respect your ideas.  
2. Exams :)**

**ANYWAYS…ON WITH THE FIC!!!!**

Chapter 15

I flew around, circling the town before landing in a field behind a small gas station.

As soon as my feet hit the ground, an explosion occurred in my mind. It was different from any of the other times I'd had a brain explosion. No, this was different. My entire body ached and throbbed in tune with my head. Images flashed before my mind; terrible scenes of fires, explosions, death. Then it stopped.

I paused, not moving from my fetal position on the ground. Very, very slowly, my hands loosened and disentangled from my hair. Barely breathing, I slowly sat up straight.

"No," I whispered, shooting up to my feet.

The deep navy night sky that had been hanging above my head a few minutes ago was ablaze with orange and red lights along the horizon. And I was no longer in the lot by the gas station. I was now in the center of an unkempt cemetery. The trees that surrounded the cemetery were scorched and charred, a fire raging across the flat land a far distance away, all around me. The thick slabs of concrete that stood upright in the ground all bore barely readable names.

I screamed as I deciphered them. My hands flew to my mouth but I screamed. In the far corner was one, tilted and chipped in the corners, that was noticeably older than the others. I walked over to it and fell to my knees to get a better look. I had to make sure. There was no way these markers could possible…

But as my fingers trailed the barely-there letters, I knew whose grave this was.

"Fang…" I whimpered pathetically. "Fang…no, no, no, no…"

I looked at the ground beneath me and, as realization of what—or rather, _who_—lay beneath me, I got to my feet as quick as I could and moved down the line to the next stone, careful to leave a few feet between me and the markers.

"How…?" I stood dumbfounded. There was no possible way that the gravestone I was staring at bore my name.

But it did.

As I continued down the line, one after another, were the names of my family, carved into the stones. I finished up the row, having no more tears left to shed, and looked at the backs of the rest of the tombstones. If the back line held the names of my family, what were the others?

I walked slowly to stand in front of the next line in front of where I had started, careful not to look at Fang's.

But my eyes widened as I read the engraving. I wasn't really sure what it meant, but all I aw before the pain exploded throughout my body again was his name and "Faithful husband."

--x--

FPOV

I sat on my bed and stared out the window. Nudge had stormed into the house and locked herself in her room, while Ella and her mother were talking in the kitchen downstairs. The members of the flock had respectfully stayed upstairs, though Iggy needed…encouragement to stay in his room. I just hoping no explosions would occur….

As I sat there, the sky still dark, I wondered if I should go out and look for Max. She'd been gone a while. What if she'd gotten hurt?

No, I was worrying to much. This was THE Maximum Ride.

But really…she'd been…well, not _acting _weird, but the weird occurrences like the body heat. Maybe it was just a new power? I tried to convince myself.

"Maybe not," I muttered narrowing my eyes at the sight outside the window before flying down the hall, past everyone's open bedroom doors, past Ella and Dr. Martinez in the kitchen, and out the door.

I could hear Iggy calling my name and the others following me, but I didn't respond to them.

Two boys walked up the pathway meeting me half way down the driveway. A tall tan boy in jeans and a tee shirt, his black hair pulled into a ponytail at the base of his neck, carried Max in his arms, while the other, a light skinned blond in jeans and a camo hoodie, followed sluggishly behind him.

"What happened?" I demanded, taking an unconscious Max into my arms.

"I don't know," he said. "We found her unconscious in a field a few blocks away."

"How did you know she lived here?" Iggy asked, stepping up my side, Dr. Martinez stepping up to the other to examine her daughter.

"Uh…" the blonde stuttered, the two exchanging worried looks. "We…can't tell you that."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Just believe us when we say we aren't here to hurt you," the dark haired boy said quickly, hands up in a surrendering way.

"Fang," Dr. Martinez said quietly, "let's take her to her bedroom."

With one last look at the two boys, I turned on my heel and headed back into the house.

I put Max down gently on her bed and paused to brush a few strands of hair out of her face before checking all areas of exposed skin for any new cuts or bruises.

Dr. Martinez did the same thing and sighed.

"I don't know what it is about them," I whispered to her, "but I just don't trust them."

"I know what you mean," she muttered back.

--x--

"You guys might want to come in," Angel said quietly as Fang passed her.

The two nodded and followed the flock into the living room.

"She'll be fine," Dr. Martinez said quietly, joining the group in the living room.

Fang came in quietly and sat down next to Ella on one side of the sectional couch while Dr. Martinez took a seat next to Nudge and the Gasman on the couch. Angel and Iggy came out of the kitchen and while Iggy took a seat next to Ella, Angel grinned at Fang and sat between his legs on the floor.

_Quit worrying about them, really, _Angel thought to him.

"We're friends," a girl said from the floor in between the two boys. Eyebrows rose at the new voice. She had long wavy black hair and wore jeans and a black jacket over her red tee shirt. How had she gone unnoticed?

"Really, we are," one of the boys agreed.

"Stop talking," she said flatly, glaring. To them she said, "My name is Nikki. Idiot A over here," she gestured to the dark haired one, "is Jay. Idiot B is named Zak."

"Why am I idiot B?" Zak muttered to himself.

"Because you just questioned that," Nikki muttered back.

"How did you guys find her?" Dr. Martinez asked calmly.

"We were looking for her," Nikki said easily.

"Why?" Nudge chirped.

Nikki took a slow breath and pursed her lips. She seemed to think about ho to answer and Angel tried to suppress the surprise that continued to build up as the girl thought. As if sensing the mind-reading, Nikki shot Angel a look before coming up with dozens of lies that the flock probably would have believed if Angel didn't know the truth.

"Look," Jay said smoothly. "We could lie and tell you stories, but the truth is—"

"We can't tell you," Zak finished. Nikki seemed content with this answer.

But the Flock? Not so much. That wasn't an answer that would "fly" with them.

**Now, review or something…..TELL ME IF YOU'VE READ THE SUMMARY FOR FANG: A Maximum Ride Novel YET BECAUSE I AM TOTALLY SHITTING BRICKS HERE!**


	16. Chapter 16

**WHOO!! I like where I'm gonna take this story!! I can't wait! Anyways, for those of you who know what Color Guard and more importantly, what Winter Guard is, I'm on my school's Winter Guard team and we just competed last Saturday and got 4****th****/2****nd**** place!! We really, n the books, got 4****th**** place, but TECHNICALLY, the Guards that won first and second should NOT have been in our class. They were bumped at the end of the competition. -_- ANYWAYS…**

**Lemme know what you think!!**

**CHAPTER 16**

Fang stood up abruptly, his mask of emotion shattered, revealing dense anger and fury, his eyes alight with it.

"No, no, wait," Nikki said quickly, standing up, too. "Ugh, look what you two did." She rubbed her forehead and tried to think.

"Tell us as much as you can," Angel murmured with an encouraging smile. "I'll get them to understand."

"Great," Jay muttered. He took a deep breath. "We aren't…from around here."

"We aren't even from around _now_," Nikki added.

Seeing the confused looks on a few faces, Zak clarified, "We're from a few years in the future."

"What?"

Fang turned stiffly and headed for the stairs. He didn't intend to listen to them if they were going to play games.

"Fang?" Nudge called after him.

"Head hurts," he mumbled.

"He just got over being sick for a few days," Dr. Martinez explained to the guests.

"Did we really come back that far?" Jay mumbled.

"Didn't mean to," Zak whispered.

"Well maybe we'll make it in _time _this time!" Nikki snapped.

"In time for what?" Gazzy asked.

Angel's eyes widened and she stood up before they could answer. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, but her eyes were locked with Nikki's, their minds deep in conversation. A flicker of a smile flashed across Nikki's lips and Angel nodded.

"I'm going to go check on Max," she said with a smile, heading for the kitchen to get a glass of water for her.

**MPOV**

My head throbbed and it was then that the only thing I wanted in the world was an aspirin. I tried to roll onto my side and my head seemed to hate that. Slower, I pressed my forehead against the cold wall.

I don't know how long I stayed like that, finally having found some comfort. The clicking the door knob made was my only hint that someone had come in, but the silence was what told me who it was.

I didn't intend on rolling over or opening my eyes because I wasn't ready to tell him what had happened yet. I didn't want to think about it. At all. But as the memory touched the edges of my mind I let out an involuntary shudder.

"That bad?" Fang asked quietly. The bed shook as he got in it next to me.

"I don't…" I tried to speak, but no sound came out. Maybe I hadn't needed to say anything, but somehow Fang knew exactly what I was thinking. He lay down next to me and draped his arm across my shoulders.

"Sleep," he whispered, his voice at my ear.

Before I could respond, someone else came in and Fang sat up slowly.

"I brought aspirin, Max," Angel said, holding out a cup of water and small white pills. I sat up slowly and gratefully took the pills from her with a small smile, downing them all at once.

"You know who those kids are, Angel?" Fang asked in his usual quiet tone.

She nodded once. "But for the sake of…well, _everything, _I can't tell you who they really are. All I can tell you is what they're willing to tell us."

"But you'll let us know if they're lying?"

She nodded again, but laughed. "Oh, they wouldn't lie to us. They know how much trouble they'd be in if they did."

"Angel," I whispered. "You know…"

"I know a lot, Max," she giggled. "You have to be just a little more specific."

"The others out there—"

"They sent them back. Or forwards. Don't worry about it. Nikki, Zak, and Jay are the only ones that stayed. The only ones who _could_."

I nodded. "Good." I felt Fang's eyes on me but I didn't look up. Couldn't.

"We'll explain if _they_ do," Angel supplied and Fang tensed slightly.

"Thanks, Angel," I mumbled, sitting still and not making eye contact with anything but the floorboards.

She smiled, and with a short nod, left the room. The click the knob made echoed in the silence and I could once again feel Fang's eyes on me, expectant. I was torn in two. Part of me desperately wanted to tell him what I saw, but another part just wanted to forget, never relive those horrible moments in the cemetery, never see those inscriptions—

I let out another shudder and my hand twitched. I wanted to wrap my arms around myself in sink into the earth. But I couldn't. I couldn't do that to the flock. Now was not the time to give up and have a mental breakdown. I needed to stay strong for everyone…

"Max," Fang said softly.

I took in a shaky breath.

"What happened to you?" he demanded.

"I—"

"Don't lie."

So I didn't say anything. It was the easiest thing to do in my confused state. Call it shock, trauma, whatever you want. Bottom line, is that I didn't know what was wrong with me. I'd gone through worse at the school than seeing my family's names on gravestones. I'd seen them being _tortured_. That, to me, is worse than the escape of death.

Isn't it.

"Don't do this," Fang pleaded. "You don't have to be Maximum Ride, the invincible, all the time."

I looked up at him. His dark eyes were glowing with worry and a million other emotions.

"Just be Max," he whispered.

I snapped.

One minute I was staring blankly at him, the next I had launched myself across the bed and buried my face in his neck, crying quietly.

"Death is worse," I heard myself whisper. "Because it can break us all apart."

"No one's going to die, Max," Fang said solidly, pulling me away from him so that he could cup my face and force me to look at him. All the emotions that had swirled around his eyes seconds before was replaced by blazing determination.

"I saw it," I whispered in horror, my eyes widening at the memory. "In the lot behind the gas station. I saw the flock's graves. A vision."

"It wasn't real," Fang pressed.

"Then what was it?"

He didn't answer.

I sat there, Fang still holding my face in front of his own, and squeezed my eyes shut. A few more tears escaped my eyes and I made no motion to wipe them away.

Fang let me go and stood up, facing away from me. His posture radiated anger and he crossed his arms.

"You may not be invincible," he mumbled, "but you were always reasonable. Rational. Stubborn, yes, but never stupid."

"Fang, you didn't see it like I did!" I snapped, getting to my knees on the bed. "It seemed so _real_. I could touch the grave markers, feel the inscriptions on them, smell the dirt, the fire…"

He whipped around and stormed over to the bed so that his face was inches from my own.

"But it never happened. It's never going to. It _wasn't real_." He snarled.

"I could feel the stones," I said just as harshly.

Fang reached down and jerked my hand and held it up to his face. "Can you feel me? I'm real, Max! I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere. Not for a long, long time."

"Promise?" I whispered pathetically.

"I already have," he said before he pressed his lips to mine.

**Anyone wanna predict what they think will happen?? Sorry if Max was a bit OOC, I figured seeing the graves of her family would be pretty freaking traumatic and so she's be…traumatized for a short bit. She'll be fine next chapter, though.**


	17. Chapter 17

**So…I got, like, 3 or 4 reviews and they were probably the most interesting reviews in a loooong time.**

**NOTE TO: ****flYgurl**

**I had actually been thinking about Iggy all day the day that you reviewed. So much so that it was bugging me. A lot. I felt like everything that was happening in my story was just happening to Fang and Max and that I was neglecting the rest of the Flock. Not good. But, anyways, I've got some major plot coming with a LOT of Iggy in it. (: And I agree. When characters get hurt, it's so HOT. Lol. Also, your prediction….that was the greatest thing I've read since MR5. I printed it out.**

**flYgurl's prediction:**

IGGY WILL GET AWESOME NEW POWERS, SAVE MAX AND FANG FROM RABBID ZEBRAS, EVERYONE WILL THINK HE'S A HERO, THEN THEY WILL THROW HIM A PARTY, BUT DOCTORS FROM THE SCHOOL WILL COME AND THEY WILL HAVE TO FIGHT ERASERS AND FLYBOYS, THEN NEW MONSTERS THAT LOOK LIKE NINJA PIGS WILL COME, AND EVENTUALLY THEY KIDNAP IGGY, AND TAKE IGGY BACK IN TIME SO THEY CAN SPEND A LONG TIME STUDYING THEM WITHOUT THE FLOCK KNOWING, SO WHEN THE FLOCK GOES TO GET IGGY THEY FIND OUT THAT HE'S ALREADY LIKE, A YEAR OLDER THEN MAX, AND EVERYTHING IS GUSHY, THEN THEY FREE IGGY, BUT THERE'S THIS BATTLE, AND FANG GETS HIS ARM RIPPED OFF BY A NINJA PIG, AND NUDGE GOES BALD 'CAUSE A DRAGON BREATHES FIRE AND BURNS HER HAIR OFF, AND MAX GETS ALL SAD BECAUSE OF FANGS'S ARM, AND IGGY GETS CAPTURED AGAIN (I find Iggy really hot when he's in need of help) AND THEN THEY ALSO CAPTURE GAZZY, AND THEY'RE GOING TO CUT OPEN THEIR BRAIN TO SEE HOW THEY THINK, AND WHEN THE FLOCK RESCUES THEM ON THE COMPUTER BALD NUDGE FINDS FILES, AND THEY SAY THAT FOR WHATEVER REASON THE DOCTORS MADE IGGY BLIND ON PURPOSE (fiends!) AND THEN ALL THIS STUFF HAPPENS AND MAX AND FANG MAKE OUT (XD) AND THEY FIND A TIME AND SPACE MACHINE AND GO IN THE FUTURE AND FIND OUT THAT EVERYONE DIED BECAUSE ANGEL KILLED THEM (posessed? demented? Homicidal maniac? who knows!) AND THEN THEY HAVE TO TRY AND FIX THE PAST SO THE FUTURE DOESN'T END UP LIKE THAT, AND A BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF HAPPENS!

**Chapter 17**

"Fang's in Max's room," Angel muttered to Iggy, sitting down next to him.

Hearing this, Jay and Zak grinned at Nikki, who promptly smacked them both.

"They'll be down in a second," Angel continued.

They all sat in an uncomfortable silence while they waited. Nikki, Zak, and Jay didn't know what to say, and the flock didn't want to start until the entire flock was present.

Jay took the time to casually glance around the room at the flock members and take them in as they were. It was strange to him. He paused on Iggy, staring into his pale, sightless, blue eyes.

"Zak," he muttered. "Zak, he's blind, too…" This attracted everyone's attention. Nikki glanced from Zak to Iggy impassively.

"Too?" Iggy asked, slightly surprised.

"Zak is blind, too," Jay stated.

"Been that way since I was born," he said. He let out a soft chuckle. "I guess I'm lucky that way.

"Lucky?" Nudge exclaimed. "How is that lucky? You're blind! That's terrible! You've never seen anything before—"

"That's exactly why he's lucky, Nudge," Iggy said quietly with a soft smile. "He doesn't know what he's missing, so he isn't burdened with the sadness that comes along with missing it. He doesn't know anything else, so being blind, to him, is probably normal."

Zak laughed. "My dad says the same thing all the time."

That caused Nikki to roll her eyes and Jay visibly shake with laughter he was holding back. Angel even racked a small smile.

Silently, Max and Fang filed into the room. Max sat down next to Angel and Iggy, while Fang chose to sit on the armrest next to Max, his arms crossed.

"Now that everyone's here…" Angel prompted, looking at the three on the floor. Nikki nodded.

"Like we said before, we're from the future," she said easily, glancing at Max. "We originally came here with a few others, but they couldn't stay."

"Why not?" Gazzy asked.

"If one person from the future meets their own selves from the past, we aren't sure what can happen. Knowing major things that you do yourself in the future can seriously effect time," Nikki explained in her smooth, quiet voice. "These are only theories, but if that happens, the universe could split into different possible outcomes. In other words, the timeline that happened before you knew and changed something, and the timeline after."

"That is, if the world isn't destroyed," Jay said gravely; Nikki nodded.

"So they went back? Who were they? Why—" Nudge began.

"We had…adult supervision," Jay cut her off.

"We sent them back because of what was happening to Max," Nikki said flatly.

"What do you mean?" Fang demanded, his tone just as flat.

"The body temperature changes? The headaches? I'm pretty sure when we sent them back, Max had a vision or something."

On the couch, Max visibly paled and Angel grabbed her hand.

"Those were the results of….well, of someone getting too close to themselves…" Nikki mumbled unwillingly.

"Nik," Zak whispered. "Are you su—"

"We won't tell them everything," she whispered back. "Only what's necessary."

"So you're saying that—" Iggy started.

"We sent both Max and Iggy back to the future." No one moved. No even blinked. Everyone was stone still in shock.

"Who _are _you," Max whispered shakily, narrowing her eyes at the teenagers.

**MPOV**

The black-haired girl locked eyes with me and introduced herself and her two companions.

"We're…mutant friends in the future."

"Mutants?" Nudge asked.

"Part avian," they muttered in unison.

"There are _more _of us?" Nudge exclaimed, causing Jay and Zak to laugh; Nikki merely nodded.

"But that's not the issue here," Fang said. The flock looked at him strangely. "_Why _are you here?"

Jay looked at Nikki. "Can we tell them that?"

"This is the confusing part," Nikki said, narrowing her eyes at the floor. "See, what we're here to do is change the past so that something n the future never happens. I mean, we've done it before, but I've never been able to get us far enough into the past to make it in time."

I could feel my headache coming back. This time travel stuff was seriously confusing.

"But wouldn't that split the universe, like you said before?" Iggy asked.

Nikki bit her lip, deep in thought. When she didn't answer him—or rather, didn't hear him—Zak answered for her. "Her parent's think it's different in that someone isn't changing something they themselves did in the past. That one person isn't meeting their past selves, thus leading them to a fork in the road when the decision arises."

"If someone goes back in time to tell their own self not to do something, when it comes time to make a decision, they'll have to decide whether to make the choice they went to the past to change, or a new decision entirely."

"Man," Gazzy groaned, rubbing his head. "This is so confusing."

Iggy laughed. "No kidding."

"So what exactly is it you came to change?" Max asked.

Nikki looked up at her. "I need to go back home to ask my parents some questions before we tell you that because we might have actually come back too far."

No one knew what to say after that. I glanced around the room at the surprised expressions. I paused at mom, who sat quietly. I'd almost forgotten she was there.

"Did we introduce ourselves?" I asked suddenly. I ignored the blank look Fang gave me. There was no need to be rude to them.

Nikki opened her mouth to answer but Nudge cut her off.

"I'm Nudge! That's Fang, Max, Iggy, Ella, Angel, the Gasman, and Dr. Martinez—Max's mom!"

"Max's…mom…?" Nikki's eyes widened slightly in horror.

"Nikki!" Zak snapped, demanding her attention. "Nik, this is not the time."

"Right," she whispered, taking a deep breath.

"What are we going to do now?" Jay muttered.

A long silence lingered and I couldn't seem to be able to sort out my thoughts. So much was happening at once and I didn't know what to focus on. Angel squeezed my hand and I forced a small smile.

Nikki stood up suddenly and headed for the door.

"Ni—" Jay started.

"I need to talk to daddy," she mumbled as she pulled on her shoes that she had left next to the door.

"He's not going to be happy at all," Zak said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, well, he'll get over it."

"He'll make us stay there," Jay almost yelled, his face suddenly glowing with emotion as he ran to her side. "He won't let us come back and fix things! He'll just say what he always does! 'This is the way things are meant to be. We shouldn't mess with them.' But if that were true, why do you have this power?"

She zipped up her jacket and looked at him evenly. "You're not coming." She turned to me. "Can they stay here at least until I get back?"

Startled, I tried to collect myself fast enough to answer, but mom responded first.

"Of course."

Nikki nodded once in thanks and opened the door.

"If you guys stay here, he'll have to let me come back. And since…" She looked over at us. "Well, he won't come back with me."

"Nikki. Tell my mom where I am," Zak said quietly. "Dad will understand though…" Nikki just nodded again and took off down the driveway, disappearing before she hit the road.

"Until she gets back, nothing is to be said about the future," Angel said as we all stared out the door. The other's nodded and slowly dispersed. Nudge and Angel headed to their rooms, Iggy, Ella, and the Gasman headed for the kitchen, and mom left to find Blankets and sleeping bags for the new guests.

Fang took my hand in his, his fingers fitting in mine like they were meant to.

Jay looked like he was going to cry.

"How old are you guys?" I asked quietly. They looked younger, not old enough to be taking on whatever burden they were handed by being here.

"Nikki and I are fifteen. Jay is thirteen."

I squeezed Fang's hand. They weren't much older than we were when we were on our own.

"Alright, guys," mom smiled, breathless, "come with me and we'll get you set up on the couch. It's getting late and you're probably tired."

I hugged mom as best as I could. Jay took a sleeping bag from her and handed it to Zak, taking the other for himself and they both followed her back into the living room, leaving me alone with Fang in the foyer.

Strong arms snaked their way around my waist and I couldn't help the smile that grew on my face.

"Tired?" he asked. I simply nodded and started for the kitchen.

"Bed, guys," I declared to the three eating at the table.

"I'm a _big boy _now, Max," Iggy said serious, froot loops falling from his mouth.

I laughed. "Just be quiet. Bed as soon as you're done, Gazzy, ok? It's late."

"Ok," he responded with a yawn.

Fang took my hand again and lead me up the stairs. Nudge and Angel had already gone to bed, knowing that as soon as I woke up, they'd be woken up, too, however early that was.

My hand left Fang's as we passed him room. "Night," he said quietly.

"Night," I whispered back, closing myself in my room.

**Not too fond of that ending there. **

**Anyways, it seemed like I was making this chapter too centric on the OC characters, and I want to let you know that I'm not TRYING to draw the attention away from the flock; there's just so much that needed to be set up.**

**But most everything is on track, so a few more little details and we'll get more action and plot.**

**So…predictions anyone? I always find these interesting…**


	18. Chapter 18

**So….I'm loving the predictions. A lot.**

**I have some responses to Anon reviewers:**

**「※****KarmaGurrrl644※****」****:: No, the Spanish Influenza was NOT a side effect of the future stuff.**

**Summurbreez :: O.O Nightcrawler?!?! ZOMG WHICH VERSION OF HIM DO YOU LIKE THE MOST?! I'm in love with him and Cyclops. And Colossus… hehehehe**

**Okay…now…I have to do this without giving away the special surprise to one of my anon reviewers…hehehehe**

**I know I haven't put up a disclaimer in a long time (because, by copyright law, these are completely legal) but I DO have to disclaim something O.O**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KARMA'S DRAWING IDEA.**

**/screaming of disclaimer**

**Chapter 18**

**NIKKI POV**

I opened the door and shut it as quietly as I could. No need to bring forth my impending doom any sooner than necessary…

"Nikki!" a small voice cried, racing into the foyer from the kitchen. "Lookie, lookie!" the small girl held up a paper as high as she could go, which wasn't high at all.

"Hey, Kar," I grinned, picking her up. I took the sheet of paper she handed me and looked at the incredibly strange drawing. "What is it?"

She looked as exasperated as a 5-year-old could. "It's a picture! I drawed a picture!"

"Wow!" I said with over excitement, slowly starting for the kitchen.

"See, that's daddy," she pointed to a yellow blob-looking thing with green dots for eyes.

I focused on the picture. He had a bunch of red and orange squiggles emanating from his blob. "What's he doing?"

"He's saving your mommy and daddy over here." She pointed to the far right of the paper at a single tan blob with brown dots for eyes.

"I only see mommy…"

"That's a'cuz your daddy's imbisdible." Invisible. Her speech skills were seriously lacking, though I'm sure her IQ was higher than her dimwitted brother's…

"And what's your daddy saving my parents from?"

"The rabid zebras of doom!" she exclaimed, kicking her legs and bouncing up and down excitedly on my hip, her strawberry blond hair swinging in it's tiny ponytail. Where did she learn these things from?

"Of course," I laughed, entering the kitchen so find the four people I was looking for. Well, I knew I'd find my parent's here because it was _my_ house, but when Karma ran up I knew Iggy and Ella would be, too. Four birds with one stone, I guess…

Ella was sitting at the kitchen table with mom while Iggy and dad stood at the counter. By the looks on their faces, they were talking about something serious, and I slipped back on my poker face.

Ella stood up and came to take Karma from me.

"Zak says to tell you where he is," I mumble.

Ella went into mother-mode; stiff, straight posture. "Oh? And where is he?"

"The past…"

I glanced at mom, who only offered a small smile, which meant she hadn't told dad about my…adventure. Slowly I turned to dad. Even with his poker face perfectly composed, I could see the muscles tense in his face and arms; the slight slant in his eyebrows.

He was pissed off.

"Daddy," I started slowly. "I know, but I have to try again—"

"It's not your problem to fix," he said coldly.

"No," I said, mirroring his anger and tone perfectly. "But if you're so unwilling to try, then it's up to me. And since I'm the only one with the power to _do _something about it, I have to try!"

Dad uncrossed his arms and gripped the counter tightly. "I said no! Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? You could try to save them and get yourself killed!"

I released the anger from my face, affixing a blank stare. "Say what you want," I said flatly. "I left Zak and Jay there, so you'll have to let me go back."

"Not unless one of us goes with you."

"Nope," a smile switched at the corner of my mouth, but I knew better than to smile during an argument I was trying to win. "I took mom and Iggy with me, but…"

"I kept getting too close to me. I was a moody teenager, so annoying," Mom muttered, her head propped in her hand at the kitchen table. "Remember the temperature changes and such?"

"I remember the 'moody'," dad mumbled and mom glared at him tiredly.

"In any case, I only came to ask you a question."

"And what's that?"

"Well, I'm tied to the past right now, I think you were 17ish. You had just gotten over the Spanish Influenza—"

Mom's eyes widened and she sat up straight.

"Nikki, no," she muttered. Ella had a similar reaction. Iggy took Kar from her before she could drop the small child.

"Nikki, you can't want to…" Ella stuttered.

Dad came around the counter and took my by my shoulders, standing so close to me that I had to look at him.

"Nikki, listen to me," he demanded. "You _can't _say anything to her! Not to Max, either! If you say something to anyone, it won't be just Dr. Martinez that dies."

"I'm still going back to save Gazzy and Sky."

"Honestly," dad growled, his grip tighter on my shoulders. "Do you have _any _idea what you could do? Have you thought about how this would affect the others? We could lose you, too. Iggy could go—"

"If that's what it takes," Iggy said quietly. Dad released me and turned to him.

"What?" dad whispered in surprise.

"I could give it up," Iggy murmured, looking at Karma in his arms. "I don't know how I would react if I lost Zak. And it's not something I want to figure out. But the way you guys handled it…well, I know you want to do anything you can to bring Sky back, but not at the risk of anyone else."

"Iggy…" Ella said.

"If you had let me finish," I said quietly and flatly, "you wouldn't be having this conversation."

Everyone looked at me.

"I've got a plan that won't mess up anything that needs to happen, only things that'll come back to bite us ten fold."

"So what do you need to know, then?" Mom asked. A smile flew across my face.

--x--

**MPOV**

I lay in bed unable to sleep. Too much…it was all becoming too much. Being on the run for years and years, getting kidnapped, accused of freeing mutants in Texas, Fang getting sick, my body temperature issues, the strangely real vision I'd had, and now these three kids showing up claiming to be from the future…

Maybe that's why I was relying on Fang so much lately. I knew the way I acted had changed over the years. I'd gotten not weaker, but more…open. I was allowing Fang to shoulder the "burden" of "saving the world." I had admitted that I couldn't do it alone. Sure, I knew the flock would always be there to help, but Fang understood that more than anyone. Looking back now, I could only say that we'd gotten closer.

Sure, I'd finally admitted my feelings for Fang. But that only took me, what? 2? 3 years?

I let out a sigh and rolled over, burying my head in my pillow.

I heard the door open and shut and I cringed into the pillow. I didn't want to talk anymore. I just wanted to sleep, just wanted the time to pass so things would slow down. Even my relationship with Fang seemed to be speeding up, and that was one thing I wasn't ready for.

But I knew who it was the moment they slipped into the bed next to me, silent. He knew I didn't want to talk. He'd been through just as much as I had.

Sometimes it just amazed me how well he knew me.

**I'm liking these predictions XD Keep going! They motivate me. Let me know if I'm going to fast with the Fax…or too slow…I dunno….I figure she's changed in 3 years, and in MAX she changed a LOT and I'm fuggen flipping out waiting for FANG to come out _**


	19. Chapter 19

**:( I was kinda disappointed to only get 2 reviews…**

**I kept typing and typing figuring if I got another review or two I'd update then, that way I'd have a lot to update with.**

**I never got them…**

**So I typed up this chapter and 1 and a half more. So if I get enough reviews today I COULD update again tonight…….but like I've said before, I'm not a bitch about reviews. I don't usually say I need x reviews or no more updates. They inspire me to update, but I don't demand them. I'm just usually disappointed when I update, get 20-some reviews, update again, and get 2.**

**It's whatever I guess. I just saw Iron Man and now I'm totally fricken excited for Iron Man 2 on May 7****th****.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE TO THOSE WHO HAVE/READ FANG: Please, for the love of God, do NOT mention ANY PART of the book or it's events, characters, setting etc. Not a WORD about it. I'm probably going to include Dylan in later chapters based on what I've read online. But if you spoil it for me, I will stop writing entirely. I'm serious.**

**Kthxbai**

**Chapter 19**

Nikki sat on her bed, staring at the empty bedroom across the hall. She couldn't help the overwhelming sadness that swept over her and her body crumpled, shaking with perfectly silent sobs. She covered her tearing face with her hands and slid off the bed onto her knees on the floor.

Even after three years she would still sit in her room by herself and cry for him.

Slowly, a little girl appeared in the doorway. Nikki froze.

"Karma," Nikki whispered in surprise, hastily wiping the tears from her face.

"Nikki," Karma whispered, looking down the hallway in both directions. "Nikki, don't tell mommy or daddy."

"Tell them what?" Nikki whispered in alarm, standing up.

The 5-year-old shut the door and locked it before turning to Nikki and speaking. Neither of them saw that Fang had been leaning against the closet door the entire time, invisible and silent. He narrowed his eyes but didn't reveal himself.

"Sky says not to cry anymore," Karma said, a pleading look on her face.

"Kar, when did he say this?" Nikki asked slowly. Karma had only been two when Sky died.

The air shifted and the temperature dropped noticeably. A cold wind brushed by Fang's shoulders and he shivered.

Slowly and image appeared next to Karma. He was tall and dark haired and his wings hung freely away from his body. Nikki's breath hitched in her throat and she started visibly shaking.

Fang's eyes widened and his entire body tensed, wanting to go over to the boy and keep him there.

"Karma," Nikki barely whispered, backing up until her legs hit the edge of the bed. "Karma! What is this?"

"Nik, it's me," the translucent being said carefully.

"Sky…"

The boy smiled.

"How…?"

Sky reached down to finger Karma's hair. She looked up at him and grinned. "I've been assuming it's her power." He looked up at Nikki. "She can see ghosts."

"So you're—"

"Gazzy's around here somewhere, too," he laughed.

Fang was sure his racing heartbeat was audible to all of them. The Gasman's ghost was in the house? Along with Sky? Some sort of morbid relief flooded through him to know that his son's ghost wasn't completely alone. Nor was the Gasman's.

"But…how?" Tears were falling from Nikki's eyes again.

"The Gasman and I have been helping her…hone her ability. She's been able to see us since we…came here. But it was only recently that she could make us visible to others. I'm assuming she can bend the light or something…"

"So when we all thought she was talking to herself…" Nikki muttered, horrified that so many times she'd been so close to him…

Sky nodded. "It was a terrible experience, the training." He looked down at Karma again before beginning to walk around her room, pausing at the mirror on her dresser.

Fang locked eyes with Sky in the mirror.

Sky looked away at the floor, then up to Nikki.

"The first time she was able to make one of us visible, you'd never guess who walked in…"

Nikki laughed humorlessly, putting her experiences together with his. "Was that the time we found mom in the bathroom with every water faucet on, crying?"

Sky nodded. "And dad was there. But the next few times she did it without any interruptions. But the last time we did it—"

"Last weekend when Iggy swore up and down that he saw Gazzy."

"Yup," Sky said.

"I gotta admit, death has changed you, Sky." Nikki laughed when he just stared at her blankly. "This is probably the most you've talked and laughed at once."

He rolled his eyes.

"Nikki, I'll admit I'm not here for a visit. I'm here because we need to talk."

"You were in the kitchen," Nikki said smoothly. Not a question, but a statement of fact.

"Look, Nikki…"

She stared at him blankly, already knowing what he was going to say.

"I'm glad I was the one that died."

"Glad?" She nearly yelled, surprised. "How could—"

"It was either me or dad," he snapped. "We all know who needed to stay. Sure, my death made everyone sad, but most of all, mom was the worst. I _saw _everything that she went through. I couldn't help her. But she got through it. With help. From dad."

"Sky," Nikki started, but Sky continued.

"If dad died, and he was in my position, both of them would have suffered. We can't comfort mom like dad can. And if he had to watch her suffer…her grief would have been much…" Sky stopped and looked at the floor, a hand gripping the dresser tightly.

"Is that it?" Nikki asked flatly.

Karma, getting tired of standing, crawled onto the bed next to Nikki, who put an arm around the girl.

"Is that it?" Sky repeated. "Nikki…" he sighed, exasperated, and ran both hands through his short black hair. "You're going anyways."

"Yup."

"Even after everything I told you?"

"Yup."

"You're just like mom," Sky groaned. Fang couldn't help but smirk.

"I'm not going to let anyone die this time."

Sky let out a breath and walked so that he was standing right in front of her. "Just…" Although his poker face was perfect and unbroken, Nikki knew there was something else he wanted to say, but wouldn't.

"Just what?" she demanded.

"Just don't die," he whispered.

"Are you serious?" she stood up and glared at him. Even though he was several inches taller the effect was not at all lost.

"Very."

She sighed.

"And, Nikki, tell dad," his eyes flicked over to where Fang stood at the closet, "not to worry so much about you and Rider."

"Chyeah, right," Nikki scoffed.

Sky laughed. "Yeah, well, I follow you around enough to know."

Nikki's eyes widened.

"Don't worry, I follow Rider around the most. My little sister is okay. My little brother, on the other hand…" he sighed.

Nikki stood up slowly, knowing that what was needed to be said was said, and that the conversation was coming to an end. Slowly she lifted a hand to his chest, but it went right through.

"I'm just light, Nik," he said softly, sad. She heard Karma let out a breath like she had been holding it for minutes. Another cold wind blew through the room and Sky's image blew away like sand.

"You didn't say bye-bye," Karma pouted, standing up and rushing over to look at Nikki.

"It's okay," Nikki murmured, picking her up. "I won't have to. I'll see him again. No bye-byes."

Nikki stood there for a minute before unlocking the door and putting Karma down in the hallway.

"Thanks," she whispered to the little girl, giving her a hug.

Once Karma had run down the hall, Nikki turned towards the closet doors.

"Anything you need to say before I leave tomorrow?"

Fang shifted into view and stared blankly at Nikki.

"Nah," he muttered, walking over to wrap his arms around his daughter. "I figure I'll stop worrying about you so much."

"Gee, wonder where you got that idea," Nikki mumbled sarcastically.

**Alright. Now…**

**:D**

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	20. Chapter 20

**I'LL BE LEGAL ON SUNDAY :D**

**And in case I can't/don't update between now and Sunday…HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Review and tell me how/who you're spending it, and for the single ladies: …I dun remember what I was gonna tell you gais o.o I'm single, too, so I usually just celebrate my birthday…**

**Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed. Sorry I didn't update that night like I promised—my power went out and I was so pissed and bored out of my mind…**

**Chapter 20**

"I want to go with her," Fang blurted out in the stillness.

Max sat up on her elbows and stared at him in the darkness.

"What?"

"I want to go with her," Fang repeated.

"I know what you said," Max snapped, turning on a lamp next to the bed they were laying on. "But what I _don't _know is why."

"Once a man has lost his son, he has nothing left to lose."

"Wha—Nikki! Rider! The flock!" Max argued. She searched Fang's dark eyes for something, anything, to make her think he didn't mean it. Any signs that would indicate a wavering decision.

"Me," she whispered.

He sat upright and cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him and see nothing else. His eyes burned with determination and sadness.

"Sky died for me. I wish I—" He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and ran his hands through his hair.

"I know what you're thinking," Max whispered, not looking at him, but at her hands in her lap. She twirled the ring Fang had given her around on her finger. "But you can't forget your other son, or your daughter. You can't go off and get yourself killed because you want to bring him back. Nikki is fine on her own."

"I know. I just…" But Fang never finished. He knew he was going. Max knew this, also.

--x--

**MPOV (IN THE PAST. FYI: I'm never going to do anything in the future flock's pov. It would get way too confusing.)**

There was a loud crash and a string of swear words coming from two different directions.

After the crash, which sounded like the living room, I jumped and—forgetting Fang was in the bed next to me—accidentally knocked him in the head.

Fang groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. "What was that?"

"Sorry," I whispered automatically, listening for more sounds as to what the crash could have been. I crawled quietly to the end of the bed and stealthily tip-toed to the door. Barely audible, I could hear small shuffling movements.

"Is Nikki back?" Iggy asked, sneaking slowly down the hallway.

"Angel—"

"She's asleep," someone whispered, the Gasman probably. "I can go—"

"Don't. Let her sleep," I whispered, continuing down the hall.

"I can barely see anything," Gazzy groaned.

"Me either," Iggy replied, equally annoyed.

Rolling my eyes, I paused at the closed doors to the living room. Zak and Jay were staying in there; maybe they were the cause of the noise. I glanced at Fang, but his face was blank…and was it the darkness or did he look really pale?

"You said you weren't bringing anyone back with you," someone whispered.

"She had no choice," a deep voice mumbled just as quiet.

"Aw, man, mom's probably _freaked_!"

I pulled the doors open with a single sudden motion and turned on the light. A beat passed and the four figures froze. That is, until Fang decided to collapse.

"Fang?" I gasped, catching him before he could hit the floor.

"Shit," a deep voice hissed. I looked up for the source and saw Nikki and Jay standing near a man with dark hair on his knees. His eyes were shut and his body was shaking. These lights must be trippy, too, because I could have _sworn _I saw him disappear for a half of a second.

"You have to go," Nikki nearly shouted. Zak rushed to the window and jerked it open, pushing the screen out. Nikki helped the man to the window and he dove out head first.

I nearly ran out after him.

"We're on the second floor!" Nudge exclaimed.

"It's okay," Jay said easily. "It's Fang."

"What?" everyone mumbled at the same time.

I looked down at Fang. His dark eyes met mine and I immediately helped him up, lingering for a second to make sure he wasn't going to fall over. He gave me a quick, short nod and I knew he was okay.

Nikki placed her hands behind her head and glanced at the window.

"What?" Jay demanded.

A smile flicked across her face as she said, "I just threw him out the window."

Jay rolled his eyes and I did a quick scan of the flock. Or the flock that was awake. I was surprised to find that only Nudge and Iggy had been woken up. Years ago that crash would have woken the entire flock up. We were just that careful back then.

"So where did he go?" I asked.

"Probably into the woods across the street," Zak answered. "He doesn't have to go far, just far enough that the two have no chance of seeing one another."

"We should go find him and talk," Jay suggested. Nikki nodded and headed for the door, flanked by the boys.

"Stay here," I murmured to Fang. He looked like he was about to protest, but sighed deeply and nodded. I smiled. "Check on everyone else, make sure we didn't wake them. We'll be back in a bit." He nodded again, but hesitated before giving me a quick kiss.

"Aw," Iggy laughed as we stepped out onto the porch. "I'm sure if I'd seen that I probably would have been sick."

"I died a little on the inside," Gazzy muttered, tying his shoes.

I ignored the urge to harm both of them and hurried to catch up to the three just barely visible at the edge of the woods.

I stopped right behind a tall, dark haired man. He stopped talking when we entered the woods and he turned to face me. If I hadn't been such a strong-willed woman armed with an amazing poker-face, I probably would have fallen over.

This was without a doubt Fang.

There were several differences besides the obvious age change. He was taller. At least 4 inches more than I was used to. And the muscle build up…his hair was a concern, though. The Fang I was used to had longer hair that hid his eyes and ears unless I brushed it out of the way. This Fang had it short. I knew I'd end up asking him who said what to convince him to cut it. His eyes, though, were as dark as ever. Shallow and hidden. Sadness was the only thing I found as I searched them.

I heard Iggy and Gazzy laugh and I tried hard to form words as fast as I could.

"Uh, yeah. I need explanations. Now," I demanded, trying to be a little nice about it. But I seriously needed some answers. This cryptic we-can't-tell-you junk was getting real old real quick.

"Nikki came back to stop someone from killing a few people in our time," Fang said, his voice deeper than I was used to.

"Kill who?" Iggy inquired, furrowing his brow.

"A boy named Sky," he answered, slowly and careful. He glanced at the Gasman, but narrowed his eyes at Iggy. He seemed to study Iggy and I exchanged a confused look with Gazzy.

"And?" I prompted.

"And the Gasman," he said quickly. "Hey, Iggy, are you…blind?"

Iggy's breathing quickened. "What?" he exclaimed, pretending to be alarmed. "I'm blind?"

"Ig," I sighed. To Fang I said, "Why does that surprise you?" A few neurons in my brain fired at once. "Unless…somehow he gets his sight back."

"Dude," Iggy laughed. "When does _that _happen?" Fang just smiled and put his hands in his pockets.

"I'm sorry," the Gasman apologized. "I didn't hear anything after 'and the Gasman.' I'm going to have to ask you to slowly explain that." Even in the darkness the forest offered at night, Gazzy was white as a sheet and shaking.

"It doesn't matter how. Knowing won't stop it," Nikki said.

"Knowing could actually be what ends up having you killed," Zak agreed.

"Don't worry," Jay assured him. "You won't die for a long time."

"Then why come back to now?" Iggy asked, his eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Because," Nikki started.

"It's like Jeb back when we were 14," Fang explained. "Someone we didn't know was a problem until the bad things started happening. It's not Jeb we're here for, though."

"So, someone we don't know about is going to spring up and try to kill Gazzy and someone named Sky in the future?" I clarified.

"Not 'someone'," Nikki said with a faint edge in her voice. "Sky was my brother.

"Don't get me wrong. I don't want to know how," Gazzy said. I looked at him, worried. "I don't even want to know when." I will admit I was proud of his bravery.

"Then what do you want to know?" Jay asked, morbidly eager to answer any questions he had. Something about this little blond kid was strangely familiar.

"Who?" he said simply.

Nikki began to respond but Fang held up a hand. "You haven't met him yet," he said, looking straight at me. Why was he staring at _me_? The more I thought about it, he'd only really looked at either Iggy or me. Not the Gasman. Sure, he'd glanced at him, but he didn't look him over like he had done to me and Ig…

"When will we meet him?" I demanded. Ice started flowing through my veins as everything began to sink in. The Gasman—my Gazzy—was going to die before his time. I had to find something—some way to protect him and the rest of the flock. I couldn't let him die. I wouldn't.

"Guys," Fang said quietly, his eyes locked with mine. "Go back to the house. I need to talk to Max."

I watch the Gasman lead Iggy back to the house, followed by Jay, who lead Zak back to the house. **(A/N: IRONY. NOW GUESS WHY!!)**

Nikki lingered, her face perfectly emotionless, just like who she was staring at. I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms as the emotionless stare-down commenced.

"I'm going to find _Fang_," She said, stressing the name of the Fang I was used to.

"Nik," this Fang sighed.

"Don't do anything you shouldn't…or that mom wouldn't do," she muttered and jogged off.

**Any predictions????**


	21. Chapter 21

**I hope everyone had an amazing Valentine's day!! I'm officially 18 now :D**

**Anyways, as a birthday gift from me to you all, here's another chapter!! This is where the plot starts to move a bit…**

**Oh, and so people QUIT asking me via review or PM (because I've ALREADY addressed this in previous ANs…)**

**FANG HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED IN AMERICA. I HAVE NOT READ IT.**

**FANG HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED IN AMERICA. I HAVE NOT READ IT.**

**FANG HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED IN AMERICA. I HAVE NOT READ IT.**

**FANG HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED IN AMERICA. I HAVE NOT READ IT.**

**FANG HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED IN AMERICA. I HAVE NOT READ IT.**

**FANG HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED IN AMERICA. I HAVE NOT READ IT.**

**Thank you and please don't spoil it, either.**

**Chapter 21**

I just stared at him patiently, waiting for him to tell me what it was he needed to say.

"His name is Dylan," Fang whispered, no longer able to look at me. "He's an avian hybrid, like us. And you end up having a _thing_ for him."

Shocked, I couldn't stop myself from asking, "And how does that affect you?" Even more shocked, "And the rest of the flock?"

Fang smiled and let out a hard laugh. "I nearly went nuts drowning in my own jealousy. He was apparently _made _to be your perfect other half and I don't think you could help but fall for him. Even now, when you know this, I think you'll still end up falling for him."

"If he's going to kill the Gasman—" I started fiercely.

"The rest of the flock is going to distrust him completely because of the way I act towards him."

I laughed in annoyance, "Oh, sure. But when I acted cold towards _Brigid_…" Fang laughed.

"The Gasman hates him the most because of the gap he causes between Me, you, and Iggy."

"Iggy?"

"Iggy…Iggy gets taken to a facility in the east where they unintentionally fix his eyes," Fang says softly. "You _have _to let that happen and rescue him without our input or help. We want that to happen so we can't tell you when he gets taken or anything about the rescue."

"Ok," I said slowly, not seeing a connection. "But what does that have to do with the gap Dylan creates?"

"Iggy may be excited now, Max," Fang said sadly, "but he doesn't remember enough."

"Remember enough about what?" I prompted after a few seconds of silence.

"Seeing," he whispered. "He couldn't take it—seeing things, the pain the light caused after years and years in darkness. He shut himself in his room for the longest time, just sitting in the darkness." I was shocked.

"Did no one try to talk—" But Fang cut me off.

"That's where the gap came in." Fang sat down at the base of a tree. My first instinct was to sit next to him, but, even though this was Fang, it wasn't _Fang_, _my _Fang. I settled for sitting in front of him, our knees barely touching.

"So he blamed the flock?" I guessed.

"No," he said quickly. "He didn't blame us, he just…we weren't who he wanted to talk to."

"Who did he want to talk to?" I asked, confused. We didn't know many people outside of the flock. This didn't sound at all like Iggy.

"It's late," Fang stated, avoiding my question. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded envelope which he handed to me. I turned it over in my hands and looked up at him curiously.

"No," he said softly, his hands stopping mine from opening it. "Give it to Fang."

"What is it?" I demanded.

"Classic Max," he smiled.

"Isn't this," I said, holding up the envelope, "a bad thing? Won't it negative effect things or something?"

"Nope," he grinned. "I had some time to think before I came here with Nikki and I asked Max—future you—what she would change, what her biggest issue during this time was. She said that she would have found a way to help Iggy." He laughed. My Fang had changed over the years, sure—we all had. But this Fang, future Fang smiled and laughed more. It was…amazing. It made me want to smile and laugh with him. It made me want to run into the house and make _my _Fang smile and laugh like that.

"But I remembered how much you were dealing with that you didn't let me help you with," he continued, a bit more serious. "And this letter to myself will help you more than you know. It might even stop the gaps that form between everyone."

I smiled and stood up. "You say classic Max, but you…you're so different."

He laughed and got to his feet, running his fingers through his hair. It made me want to do it, too.

"It's the hair," he chuckled.

"Who got you to get it cut?"

"If I told you that," he grinned, "then you'd just go back to younger me and get him to cut it."

"There's always a Plan B," I mumbled, turning towards the house. "Where are you going to stay?" It's not like he could come back into the house after what had happened the first time.

"I think I'm gonna stay out here. Haven't done it in a long time. I kinda miss it, you know?"

"No," I smiled. "I don't know. But if you want, I'll leave the back door unlocked. Go down to the basement, but make sure to lock the door at the bottom of the stairs."

"I don't want to risk anything."

I just nodded and ran back to the house.

--x--

**FPOV**

"He told me to give this to you," Max said in a whispered as she shut her door as quietly as she could. She held out an envelope as she tiptoed across the room.

"Was it weird?" I mumbled as she climbed into the bed next to me. I sat up and eyed the envelope curiously.

"Oh yeah," she laughed. "It was like two different people."

"Really," I mumbled, barely hearing her now. I pulled out the letter and immediately recognized my own handwriting. At least I knew some things wouldn't change.

_There's no other way to inform you of what's happening besides just going in order and giving you directions. You have to trust me. Do not let anyone else read this. Not even Max. She'd kill me if she knew I was even writing this._

_Nikki told me that you just got ever the Spanish Influenza. If I'm right, then it's Sunday, right? Well, 10 days from Sunday, Iggy gets kidnapped._

I looked up at Max's worried expression.

"Fang," she said again. She'd probably been calling my name the whole time.

"What day is it?" I asked quickly, looking for her calendar.

"Monday, why?"

I let out a string of curses and continued reading, dodging Max as she tried to grab the letter.

_There will be a reason for this, but you need to wait exactly 2 days before you go after him. You need to keep Max from jumping out a window, literally. I can't tell you _how _you can save him, but you _have _to. You won't have much time to do so after those 2 days. As for his location, it's the School in California._

_They thought that would be the least likely place to check, and for us, it was. It took us those 2 days to find it but it almost cost us a member of the flock._

I stopped to take a breath.

"Fang." Max reached out to me, but I tried to pull away, backing into a corner. I had to finish.

_And now, the reason I'm writing you this, the most important thing you have to do, is when you get back from the rescue mission, Ella is going to try to go on a trip to visit some college in California. Max is going to urge her to go, even though Ella doesn't want to leave the flock. I'll be honest; the trip does nothing for her. She doesn't like the school._

_Your job is to keep Ella from going. Tell her whatever you need to in order to keep her from going. Tell her future you told you. Whatever. Just keep her there._

_Iggy needs her._

**DUN DUN DUNNNNN!!!!! Predictions make me :D**


	22. Chapter 22

**So…….I've had a few bad things happen recently. Over all: I read chapter 574 of One Piece. In short: Ace was the whole reason I was even reading this stupid series :(**

**I STILL HAVE NOT READ FANG. So if any parts are similar, close to, or remind you of something that happens in that book, I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!!!**

**Chapter 22**

_P.S. His name is Dylan, he may seem like he should be part of the Flock, but he does some bad things. He's supposedly Max's "perfect other half" though I never saw that in him. But overall, Max falls for him…don't go nuts yet, though. If you want proof as to who Max really loves, or you ever doubt, just look at Nikki. Just don't say anything. Dylan creates a sort of gap between you and Max. Keep that from happening. Both of you will avoid a lot of sleepless nights that way._

Nikki…?!

"Fang!" My head snapped up as Max's hand came down hard on my shoulder. I ripped up the note into tiny pieces so no one had the chance of reading it.

She looked at the pieces on the floor. "What did it say?" She gestured at the pieces angrily.

There were several things I could have done in a situation like that. Things I should have done, like tell her it was nothing concerning her. I could have told her the truth. I could have even lied, but I knew that wouldn't make the situation any better. No, I picked to do the one thing that would make her angry.

I flicked hair from my eyes and shrugged. "Nothing, really…"

"Fang—"

I took her by the hand and led her back to the bed. "Sleep," I commanded.

"Fang—" she started again, more urgently.

I leaned over and knocked her legs out from under her and picked her up, placing her on the mattress like a child, before climbing over her into the bed as well.

"About what the other Fang told me," she started. I listened, wondering what was so important that I—he had to say that I'd—he'd risk the timeline and all that. "Someone is…"

She looked away.

"Dylan?" I guessed. Suddenly her eyes met mine and I knew I'd hit it dead on.

"Is that what the note was about?" she whispered. I shook my head. "Well, Dylan is going to…kill the Gasman and Nikki's brother Sky." My eyes widened and I tried to remember how to breathe.

So not only does this guy Dylan have Max's heart at one point, but he kills the Gasman. And Nikki. She was what older me used to prove Max's relationship with me in the future. Her dark hair and brown eyes, quiet and stubborn attitude. No doubt she was our daughter. And then Sky was her older brother. The chances of him being our son…

"Fang!" Max's voice was close to me, right above me somewhere. "Fang, breathe!"

--x--

**MPOV**

"Fang!" I said again. He was hyperventilating and deep in thought.

The door opened and I saw Nikki walk in quietly with a glass of water. Fang looked at Nikki and seemed to half-way snap out of it. He sat up and stared at the girl intently.

"What did he tell him?" she demanded, handing Fang the water.

"I don't know," I told her in a rush. "He gave him a note, but he wouldn't let me read it."

"What did he tell _you_?"

"Just stuff about Dylan," I answered, brushing hair out of Fang's face. "Fang, you have to take deep breaths." He seemed to be calming down slowly, the initial shock of whatever caused this weakening.

"Does Fang," she gestured to the one in the bed, "know about Dylan?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Mom is gonna be _pissed _when she finds out he wrote a note to his past self. In any case, don't worry about what was in the note. Whatever it was he found out, it was probably just reassurance for himself about Dylan. Don't worry about it too much. It's nothing bad," she said easily. "For the rest of the flock, well, let's just say they're expecting something like it."

"What?" Why did people have to be all cryptic like that? Why did they have to say just enough to get you interested, get you curious, and then not tell you anything else? Couldn't they just not say anything at all or tell you everything? All or nothing.

"If he knows what I think he does," she mumbled, "then it's better for me to leave."

As soon as she was gone I turned to Fang, who just sat leaned up again the wall, head tilted back, taking in air like it was about to vanish.

His breathing slowed to nearly a normal pace, he leaned forward and cupped my face in both of his hands.

"You need sleep," I whispered shakily, fighting the urge to back away or even run.

"Stay with me," he said back.

Confused, I lay down with him and muttered, "It's my room."

"That's not what I meant, Max," he whispered, lying on his side so he was facing me. His hair spread across the pillow much like mine—long and sparkling in the moon light. I had a fleeting thought to mention his hair later. "Stay with me. When we meet Dylan—"

"Fang, if you're worried about me falling for _him _after everything I learned that he's going to do to us I…" I tried to keep my face composed. Seconds, minutes, days, years passed in the silence. His face was betraying him every once in a while. He'd look emotionless one second, angry the next, emotionless, confused, and so on. So many emotions passed that I didn't want to say anything and break the illusion. "What was in the note?" I demanded.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "You know I love you, right?" I knew he loved me—more than a sibling or any other kind of familial love—but it was…nice to hear him say it. "Just trust me and not worry about it."

I groaned and rolled onto my back. "It's easier talking to future you," I said.

"Then go talk to him," he mumbled back. I could see him smirking out of the corner of my eye and it made me slightly angry.

"I should," I grinned, facing him again. "He had the greatest hair."

"It's the same," he chuckled.

"How would you know? You were unconscious on the floor!" After a few seconds of silence, Fang just staring blankly at me, I murmured, "It looked good short, you know," fingering the long, dark strands of hair in the pillow. Again, he said nothing and I began to wonder what he was thinking.

I closed my eyes, believing he wouldn't answer, and tried once more to fall asleep.

"Next Saturday," he whispered. I opened my eyes to see his dark ones blazing with an unidentifiable emotion.

"What?"

"On Saturday. I'll get my hair cut."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," I sighed, closing my eyes. "Do whatever you want."

He sighed heavily and rolled over onto his back. "I hate when girls say that."

I shot up to my elbows, glaring. "And what girls have _you _been talking to?"

"Just you," he grinned, pulling me down onto his chest where I sighed and, too tired to move, I fell asleep.


	23. Chapter 23

**I'm going to assume no one is reviewing because they do not want to spoil Fang for me :) I've read some stuff about it because I like to spoil things for me. I HATE it when other people tell me, because when I spoil it for myself I know a.) when to STOP, when knowing too much is too much, and b.) what it is I want to know.**

**So for now, I won't say anything about what I've read about it for fellow American's who have yet to read anything about it.**

**Chapter 23**

**FPOV**

I tried as hard as I could to spend as much time with Max as I could without being annoying. I wanted to get close to her—not push her away. I wanted her to—if the situation ever appeared at all—be able to choose me easily. I didn't want her to think about who should would choose to spend her life with.

I wanted her to _know _it was me.

I sighed and shut off the shower. I couldn't _force _her to love me like I loved her. She loved me. I knew that she did. It was just that…she could love someone else, too. That's what worried me the most. She could love me _and _this Dylan at the same time.

And she could _not _choose me.

That was always an option.

An involuntary shudder rippled through me as I stepped out of the steamy bathroom and into the hall.

"You okay?"

I turned to see the Gasman looking at me with eyebrows raised. I couldn't tell if it was because I was in a towel or if I had a stupid look on my face.

"Cold," I muttered. Gazzy shrugged and raced down the stairs two at a time and I hurried to put clothes on.

"Max!" I heard the Gasman yell from the backyard.

"Dr. Martinez!" Nudge screamed.

I heard Max race out of her room and down the stairs. Not wasting time, I jerked on my jeans and ran down to the kitchen, hearing everyone run out the back door in there, and saw Nikki, Jay, and Zak standing by the windows next to the door.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

Nikki ran a hand calmly through her hair. "Dylan. He just fell into the backyard."

I ran out onto the back porch to see a boy lying on the ground, huge brown wings visible against the grass. Dr. Martinez was hovering on one side of him while Max was on the other. Nudge, Angel, and the Gasman were standing in front of the stairs to the porch with wide eyes as they watched.

"Gazzy, Angel, Nudge—get inside," I muttered, hoping it sounded like an order rather than a suggestion. Angel nodded knowingly and dragged the other two with her.

Content with that I walked over to kneel down next to Max.

"What's your name?" Max asked sternly, earning a look from her mother.

The boy groaned and sat up, pulling in his wings.

Iggy reached out to help him up but Dylan looked at him, leaned back, and launched himself at Iggy. His fist connected with Iggy's cheek _hard _causing him to fly backwards. I wasted no time in intercepting a second punch from him. Dylan was lying on his stomach in seconds and I sat on his back, pinning his arms to the ground.

Dr. Martinez jumped in shock, hands flying to her mouth in horror, but Max just watched with curious, angry eyes. I contemplated for a moment who she was angry at—me or Dylan-but chose to believe it was Dylan.

"I know who you are," his deep voice grumbled from beneath me.

"Who sent you here?" I snapped, ignoring him.

"You're Fang," he continued, making me angrier.

"You're Dylan." I didn't move, but I heard Max's sharp intake of breath. "Who sent you?" I demanded again.

"Fang, it was a reflex, you would have done the same thing, too," Iggy mumbled.

"Fang," Max said sternly in her warning tone. She gave me a cold look and I stood up. Iggy held out his hand once more and helped Dylan to his feet.

"Come inside," I heard Dr. Martinez murmur.

I looked at Max, expecting her to protest, but got nothing. I waited until Dr. M shut the back door to explode.

"Fang—"

"I can't believe you," I hissed, dangerously calm. She visibly flinched. "You _know _what he's come here to do, but you still accepted him into the house." Her eyes flashed with anger.

"He's not going to hurt us right now! He's the one that's hurt!" she snapped. "If we watch him carefully then nothing is going to happen!"

I barely noticed Iggy walk around towards the side of the house.

"Yeah?" I countered. "And who's watching him now?"

"My mom!"

I laughed loudly. She took a step away from me, as if I'd gone insane. "Really, Max?" I can't believe how much she wasn't _thinking_. "And what's your mother going to do against an avian hybrid? If he has the skills to kill _Gazzy _then your mother would just be a warm-up—"

"Shut up!" she screamed. "Why are you thinking like this?"

"Because _you're_ not!" I screamed back. "What happened to the Max that wanted a background check on anyone who even looked at us weird?"

"You want me to go back to being seriously paranoid? You think I don't want to protect the flock?" She was no longer angry, but…hurt.

"That's not what I meant, Max," I said evenly.

"Then what did you mean?" she asked annoyed. The way she had her arms crossed…that's when it hit me.

I closed the several feet between us in very few paces and had her face in between my hands before she could even blink. "Max, I love you. I've told you that before," I said softly. "It just kills me to know you have information that will keep one of our flock members alive, yet you're choosing to do nothing about it."

"I-I'm not doing _nothing_, Fang," she stuttered. "There's always a plan."

I kissed her long and hard before backing away slowly towards the back of the yard. "I know you well enough, Maximum Ride, to know that sometimes you just say that to reassure us." I gave a small, quick smile before launching myself off the ground and into the air, heading the opposite direction of the woods in front of the house.

Beore I got too far, though, I heard her scream, "Ever heard '_Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer_' Fang?!"

"Yeah," I muttered to myself. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

--x--

**IggyPOV**

I stopped at the first tree I reached. "Fang," I called out. I listened intently. The flap of birds' wings—not a hybrid—and the gently creaks of the trees bending to the wind. Small animals' frantic jerks in the brush on the ground.

"Iggy," a deep voice acknowledged somewhere to my left. I jumped.

"Jeez," I let out a breath. "Ninja much?"

"Sorry, I'm not used to…anymore…" I waved his apology away.

"I need to know something. How. How does Gazzy…."

"And what do you think you could do about it?" Fang said smoothly. The soft rustle of fabric and the squeak of leather-on-leather—he crossed his arms.

I didn't answer. I didn't know _why _I wanted to know. I just did. It was one of those things that drove you crazy unless you knew. Sleep had evaded me last night entirely and I knew that if I was stuck awake thinking about it, so was the Gasman. And who knew—maybe I could do something to prevent such a terrible event.

"If I told you, I'm not sure you'd be able to do anything about it."

"It would help."

Fang sighed. "Dylan shoots him."

"There's no way to save—"

"In the head."

I nodded in appreciation. "Thanks. I can't believe Max—"

"She's just infatuated," he said, annoyed. "She'll get over it." I heard a shift in him again. "I have to go. Zak is looking for me."

I laughed. "He's blind, Fang."

"Yeah? Well sometimes I wish he would act like it," he laughed, taking off into the air.

**So…why does the US have to wait so long for FANG when it was released in other countries? Shouldn't it have been released here since, I dunno, the AUTHOR LIVES HERE?**


	24. Chapter 24

**We had a winter guard competition yesterday and came in 3****rd**** of 8!!!**

**Thanks for all the reviews; they are kept in my heart forever ;u;**

**Chapter 24**

**MPOV**

I was angry. I was _pissed_.

I turned on my heel and stormed into the kitchen, unintentionally slamming the door. Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel all looked at me curiously from the kitchen table while my mom and Dylan jumped at the noise.

"Gazzy, upstairs," I said. "Lock your door, don't let anyone in but me."

"Max—" he started, furrowing his brow.

"Go."

Fang's words kept replaying in my head…_you have information that will keep one of our flock members alive, yet you're choosing to do nothing about it_…_sometimes you just say that to reassure us_…I would prove him wrong. I would prove to him that I'm the Max that lives in his memories.

What was so wrong about reassuring the flock anyways?

Angel stood and took the Gasman's hand and led him away.

"I'm the big brother, you know," he muttered to her. "I'm supposed to protect _you_…"

Nudge looked at me carefully then offered a small smile.

"Iggy went out front. Can you go find him for me?" I asked. I turned to mom and was suddenly on the receiving end of the meanest glare I'd ever seen from a non-white coat human.

"Max, you're being rude!" she said angrily.

"No, I'm protecting my flock," I snapped. To Dylan I said, "We know what you're here—"

"I don't know what you're—" Dylan tried to defend himself.

"Don't lie—"

"I'm not ly—"

"I said don't lie to me!" I growled. "I know what you're here for."

"Oh really?" He crossed his arms and leaned smugly against the kitchen sink. "What am I here for then?"

"The Gasman," I said smoothly. Something lit in his eyes and his lip twitched. "It may not be today, or tomorrow, or even this year. But you're here for the Gasman."

He grinned and I grabbed mom's arm. "I think I hear Ella in the driveway," I muttered and she nodded in understanding.

"That's ridiculous. Where did you hear that?" He chuckled.

"Seems I have some friends in the future with interesting talents." The smile vanished.

"How unfortunate," he mumbled, reaching into his pocket. "I wasn't supposed to attack for a long time. Years in fact. But I guess we'll just have to speed up our plans."

Multiple things happened at the same time. I saw Dylan whip out a small hand gun. I heard Angel run down the stairs screaming my name, the Gasman screaming hers right behind her. I saw him pull the trigger. I heard myself scream as a searing pain tore through my left calf, knocking me to the floor.

"B…bastard!" I screamed, pushing myself upright.

"Max!" I heard someone yell. At this point I could only see the blood on the floor. I couldn't tell who it was.

"Stay away! Up and away, guys! Get everyone and _get out of here_!" I yelled.

Dylan fired again, this time hitting the wall next to the door.

"Go!" I screamed.

A third shot blasted and I felt it hit my right arm. I fell to the floor and tried hard to get up to an upright position to at least defend myself.

There was a sudden crash as the large window over the sink exploded. Something flashed in the space above the sink and I could have sworn I saw Fang standing on the counter, one foot on each side of the sink, glaring down at Dylan. I summed it up to a cross between wishful thinking and shock.

Suddenly, Dylan was flying through the air as if hit. He stumbled backwards and his head hit the refrigerator and he fell, hitting his head on the counter. There was no way he was conscious after that.

Slowly a form appeared in front of the broken window.

"You…didn't have to break…the window," I said, breathing heavy and wincing.

"Max…" He came over and sat on the floor next to me. Everyone seemed to rush in at once. Mom skidded to my side and began to peal the top layer of my shirt off, leaving me in a thin tank top. Fang helped by ripping off the sleeve so it wouldn't jar the wound.

"Whoa," Nudge whispered. I looked at her and followed her eyes to Fang. Who wasn't actually Fang. Well, not _my _Fang anyways.

"Where's Fang?" I asked him, wincing as mom prodded a wound.

Just as I saw him move to answer, Nudge blurted, "I couldn't find Iggy, Max." You would think that would be something you tell me as soon as you see me, but I assumed it was the shock of seeing an older version of Fang that shocked her for a second.

Suddenly I couldn't feel any pain. Ice ran through my veins. It was the look on Fang's face. It was not a good facial expression.

"What do you mean?" he asked, surprised. "He didn't come back yet?"

Nudge shook her head slowly.

"Damn it," I grunted, pushing my mom's hands away. I tried to stand and everyone in the room protested loudly. But me being me, I ignored them and headed towards the front door, shoving off anyone who got in my way. I would have found it strange that no one was particularly trying to stop me. But when I threw open the front door to see Fang—my Fang—staring at me, I assumed then that they had seen future Fang leave.

"Iggy's gone," I whispered. He blinked slowly before his eyes widened.

I could feel the tears that slowly left my eyes, trailing down my cheeks. They were multi-purpose tears, though. I was crying for Iggy, for what he would go through, and I was crying for the bullets that were still in my arm and leg because it was still a white-hot pain now that I thought about them.

"Max," I heard my mom murmur behind me, placing a hand gently on the shoulder of my good arm.

"Is everyone else alright?" Fang asked me calmly.

Wow. Did he not see the two bullet holes in me?

"Dylan shot her. Twice," Nudge said.

For the first time since I opened the door, Fang's eyes finally left my face and scrutinized my body, finally seeing the blood stains on my clothes.

"How can you even stand?" Fang whispered in horror.

After years and years of getting closer to Fang, I knew what he was going to do. Or rather, _wouldn't let _me do.

"You're not letting me through, are you," I asked flatly, but completely serious.

"You're impossible," he grunted, quickly leaning over and knocking my legs out from under we and rushing to catch me. I let out an involuntary scream in pain. "Thought so." He kissed my cheek and I so badly wanted to hit something.

My vision blurred in the pain and I felt like I was going to pass out. How could I have stood up during this? Could it have really hurt this bad before? Why did it wait until now to hurt this bad?

--x--

**FPOV**

I wanted so badly so find Dylan and kill him. I wanted to see him defenseless on the floor and in pain like Max probably had been.

Max grabbed my hand as she lay on the couch, allowing her mom to remove the bullets. Her back and sucking in a breath as Dr. Martinez made an incision to remove the bullet in her leg.

"Max," I said, hovering above her. I dropped her hand and placed my hands on both sides of her face, forcing her to look at me. "Max, pay attention to me, don't look at your mom. I'm here."

"Good," she panted. Dr. M had turned away to clean off the scalpel and exchange it for something that could grip the bullet. "You promised you'd never leave me and I swear if you ever do…" She didn't finish as pain overtook her again.

"You'll what?" I asked, trying to keep her distracted.

"Die," she said.

"Max," I held her chin and looked down at her. "You don't mean that," I whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Fang—" She grimaced at the sight of her bloodied arm as Dr. M began to clean it. I turned her face towards me—away from it—and raised my eyebrows.

"Breathe, Max," I said in falsetto, mocking her from the night I'd had a panic attack. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The last bullet was removed.

"You're doing good, Max," Dr. M mumbled, turning away to sterilize a needle. "You'll be okay in _no sooner_ than two days."

Two days.

_There will be a reason for this, but you need to wait exactly 2 days before you go after him._

"So, really—" Max started to convert.

"Two days," she said sternly. "I'm serious, Max. You reopen these wounds and it could cause more damage. The one in your leg was so close to a main artery that if you reopen it, you might not make it."

_It took us those 2 days to find it but it almost cost us a member of the flock._

So, we really went out looking for him for two days and it nearly cost us Max.

Well.

Not this time.


	25. Chapter 25

**Okay. A LOT has happened to me since the last update. I totaled my car, had a few competitions, and lost a "friend" over texts because of something TOTALLY UNRELATED to her in any way shape or form. **

**ANYWAYS…I've read FANG now so…I've gone ahead and started writing a PREQUAL TO MISSING. It's called "Searching".**

**Chapter 25**

"Throw him in cell 44," a young male said, handing the clipboard to an older female.

The female scanned the pages of coded data, pushing black curls out of her face, and furrowed her brows. "I think I'm reading this wrong," she muttered.

"You're not," a deep voice stated next to her, startling her. His arms, too thick with muscle for the average scientist, were crossed over his chest and a deep scowl was on his face as he watched his subordinates place the experiment in a room.

"What?"

"Back when I was an intern, Subject 5 was slated for extermination. That was before him and several other experiments escaped," the first male said.

"Why?" the female asked.

"He's useless. He's blind," the second said.

"Then why keep him in a cell at all?"

"Because, Susan Miller," a voice said from the door. "We've developed a new procedure."

"Oh?" all three questioned in unison.

"And what is that?" the second male asked, smirking. Word of this scientist, Jeb Batchelder, and his amazing failures had gotten around the School.

Jeb reached over and took the clipboard from Susan. "Well, Keith, back when he was here the first time, we attempted to enhance his vision, but ended up frying the optic nerve. Or so we thought. While he was…away, we created computerized eyes. But when he was 14, we had the chance to really observe the damage."

"So it was a mistake, thinking the optic nerve was shot?" the first male asked, eyes narrowed.

"Exactly. What is going to happen in the surgery today is we will replace several parts of the retina and the lens." Jeb handed the clipboard back to Susan.

"And what if you fail?" Keith asked, his deep voice colored with his doubt.

"Well, he's already blind. What else could happen?"

--x--

**MPOV**

"Sit. Down," Fang said for the seventh time through gritted teeth.

"I have to go—" I tried.

"No," he said slowly and evenly. "You don't. Sit your butt on the couch." I flopped back down onto the sofa with an angry huff and crossed my arms, glaring at the side of Fang's face. He sat slouched next to me, arms crossed over his stomach, feet crossed on the coffee table, staring with a blank face at the TV.

I know what you're thinking. The mighty Maximum Ride is taking orders from someone?

Not quite.

Ok, yeah. I was. But trust me when I say I hated every single minute of it. And I didn't fail to let it show.

"I hate you," I grumbled, still glaring.

"No you don't," he said quietly.

"How can you just sit here while Iggy is missing?" I shouted, leaning forward in an attempt to look at him straight-on. "He could be being tortured _right now_."

"Max," he said. One syllable, my name, hitting me like ice. That tone…he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, but didn't flinch. Damn.

"How could you throw a member of the flock to the sharks like this?" I yelled.

His mouth twitched down into a frown.

Ka-ching!

"You don't—"

"No," Fang yelled just as loud as I had. "_You _don't know what will happen if I let you go."

"Oh, and you _do_?" I asked, lowering my voice a little so we wouldn't scare the kids.

"I do," he whispered, turning back to the TV, his tone surprising me. Wordlessly, he reached out and took my hand, our fingers intertwining and lying between us on the couch. "Just one more day, okay. Just hold out for one more day."

I leaned back into the couch. "It was in the letter?" I guessed. "From the older you?"

He didn't say anything. That was all the reply I needed. I squeezed his hand and sighed.

"We'll leave tomorrow night. Promise."

I nodded in response and slid closer to him.

--x--

The sound of scraping metal jerked Iggy into sudden consciousness, greeted by familiar darkness. He could hear two sets of footsteps, but three different breathing patterns. Two of the three people approached him, each step making him tenser. When he felt hands on him he began to kick and scream. Even from down the hall he could hear them. He knew what they were going to try.

Iggy knew the chances of his survival.

"No!" he yelled, his voice already hoarse.

"We're doing you a favor, kid," a deep voice grunted.

"Let me go!"

"Sedate him," an authoritative voice commanded from the doorway.

"No!" Iggy struggled harder, but the inevitable prick turned his veins to ice. There was no escape. He knew his only escape was miles away, probably at home still, coming up with a plan. Maybe.

--x--

**MPOV**

I lifted my head gently off the pillow and looked at Fang, making sure he was really asleep. The peaceful look on his face, the long shadows the moon created on his face…I almost wanted to make him come If I knew he wouldn't protest my going at all, that is.

True, Fang _had _promised we'd go after Iggy tonight, but that was over 12 hours away. Too. Much. Time. And it's not like Fang's promises were actually _worth _anything, considering the biggest promise he'd made to me, the one that had meant the most to me, was that he'd never leave me.

Yeah. We all know how _that _went.

I slid out of the bed, thankful I didn't weigh enough to seriously shake the mattress. Pausing to make sure Fang didn't wake I turned toward the window and simultaneously opened this window, while leaning down the grab my shoes; I'd put them on outside and a ways away from the house. But when I straightened up and had one foot out the window, a hand clamped down on my wrist and jerked me back inside. I whipped my head around to see who had me, but no one was there.

**Sorry it's so short. I'm going to need suggestions for what happens to Iggy since I know a few of my readers are huge fans. So tell me what you'd like to see happen and I'll see what I can do. :D**

**Also, I've gone ahead and started writing a PREQUAL TO MISSING. It's called "Searching". You DO NOT have to read it for Missing to make sense since Missing was written FIRST. Searching is just the stuff between FANG and what happens in this fanfic.**


	26. Chapter 26

**LMAO Ok. So. Those who want to kill me, please raise your hand :D**

**So, I know it's been forever, but I've had a lot going on. High School graduation, end of school, work etc etc.**

**Anyways, none of that's important. What IS important is my regained interest in writing this story again for a little while!**

"**ONWARD COW!"  
"I'm a horse!"**

**Chapter 26**

He didn't say anything, but he had a seriously angry look on his face. Fang was usually expressionless, all his emotions swimming in his dark eyes. Occasionally a bit of expression would leak into his features. Well….let's just say the levees broke on this one. I averted my eyes and ripped my arm out of his grasp, pulling the rest of my body into the house.

"Just let me go, Fang."

"You promised," he ground out. His voice sent chills down my spine, but I ignored the fear and focused on the anger.

"Oh, yeah, you're a promise pro!" I snapped.

"Max," Fang started in a warning tone. "It's been four years—"

"And I still haven't forgiven you for leaving me."

"I know," he said, hurt tinting his voice though his expression stayed angry. "But that doesn't make this okay. Leaving to go find Iggy and almost dying isn't going to help anything."

Sudden light temporarily blinded me and I turned towards the door, blinking furiously, to see Ella standing in the doorway.

"What's going on in here?" she asked with a yawn. I threw my shoes to the floor and stomped out of the room, towing Ella behind me.

"Max—" I slammed the door to my room before Fang could say anything else. I knew he would leave me alone now—he got what he wanted.

I led Ella back to her room and stole an extra pillow off her bed.

"Were you guys arguing?" Ella asked, turning out the light as I settled on the floor.

"Doesn't matter," I grumbled.

There was a pause and I thought that that was the end of it, but Ella threw an extra blanket at me and said, "That was years ago, Max."

Yeah. I know. And the fact that part of me deep down still expected him to leave scared me.

A lot.

-x-

**FPOV**

"Why is Max sleeping on the floor in Ella's room?" Nudge asked, coming to sit at the table with the Gasman and I.

"She's mad at Fang, I'm guessing," Gazzy said around a mouthful of Dr. M's eggs.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me, but I focused on my eggs like I hadn't heard them. I didn't do anything wrong. If anything, I did the _right _thing whether Max would admit it or not. She could get as mad as she wanted.

"Why would that make Max sleep in Ella's room?" Dr. M asked from the stove.

Ella walked in a surveyed the scene. "Mom. Really? Fang has been sleeping in Max's room for weeks."

I stood up abruptly in an attempt to flee and avoid this inevitable discussion.

"Sit," Dr. M commanded, pointing her spatula at me with narrowed eyes.

Ella laughed and grabbed a plate. "Mom doesn't like kanoodling in her house."

"No," she disagreed, turning back to her pan. "I don't like not knowing about the kanoodling going on in my house."

"We're not doing anything," I pressed, making Gazzy burst into hysterics, which was _not _helping _at all_. "Well, _I'm _not. Max tried to sneak out last night."

"Shouldn't you be getting ready to go, then? Max is just itching to go."

"'Itching' or 'Bit—" Gazzy began before Nudge kicked him in the shin. _Hard._ "Sorry."

I nodded. Naturally, I was packed and ready to go already. "Let Max sleep as long as she wants, but get ready quietly. I'll pack for Max. Someone wake up Angel," I ordered.

"When are _you _leaving?" Nudge asked Ella.

I'd almost forgotten.

"Tonight," she responded with a grin.

Wordlessly, I reached out and grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the hall to the bathroom.

"No kanoodling!" I heard Nudge say as we left.

I rolled my eyes and proceeded to turn on the faucet and shower.

"Fang?" Ella watched me curiously.

"You can't go, Ella," I said and slid down the wall and sat on the floor, resting my elbows on my knees. I ran my hands through my hair and sighed. I promised Max I'd get it cut…

Ella knelt down in front of me.

"Old Fang wrote me a letter. Told me a lot of things."

"Things you can't tell Max."

"Or any of the flock," I nodded. "Though with Angel…Well, I knew Iggy would be kidnapped. He told me where they took him and—"

"If you know where he is then go get him!" she said angrily.

I shook my head slowly. "The letter told me to wait two days. If we didn't wait, we would have lost a flock member."

"Max's gunshot wounds?" Ella gasped. I shrugged. We could only assume at this point. "So why didn't you leave Max here and go rescue Iggy? He could be suffering! He could—"

"He'll get his sight back." As expected, that left her speechless. A small smile grew on her face.

"You're sure?" She leaned toward me on her knees. "But…what does this have to do with me?"

"Iggy needs you."

"Me?"

"For the sanity of the flock. Just…" I hated to ask her to do this, to depend on her. But I had no choice. There was no one I could tell all this to. "You don't end up going to that college. At least, that's what older me wrote."

She nodded slowly and stood up. "What else did older Fang tell you?" I wasn't sure what else I could tell her. "Come on, tell me! You're practically my brother-in-law."

My jaw nearly dropped and she smirked.

I narrowed my eyes. "Everything that is said in here must remain in here. If anyone else knows any of this, well, I'm not exactly sure what could happen." She nodded and I stood up. "Nikki is your niece."

Her jaw dropped this time and I smirked, leaving her alone in the bathroom. I dashed up the stairs, narrowly avoiding a collision with Angel on my way, who was carrying her things to the front door. Ella's bedroom door was open a little and I stuck my head in to see Max still asleep on the floor.

After a quick argument in my head on whether or not I should let her sleep, I figured I ought to wake her up. It wasn't worth her getting angrier at me if I let her sleep when we could be getting Iggy back.

"Max." I knelt down next to her makeshift bed on the floor and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

She sat up right and looked away from me, no doubt planning on ignoring me.

"How're you feeling?"

She watch Nudge pass the door, a bag on her back.

"Great," she stretched, eying me with suspicion.

"Ready to go?"

**Anyone heard of the Living Arts College?**

**Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust wondering :) REVIEW CUZ I GOT AN iPOD TOUCH FOR GRADUATION AND I WANTS TO READ REVIEWS ON ITTTTTT!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Okay. Two things.**

**Toy Story 3?**

**AMAZING! I GRADUATED WITH ANDY!**

**Andy is HOT, gaiz! Like, HOOOOT. I know he's a CG character, but I'm gonna work for Pixar one day and I'm going to make an animated short about Andy :D**

**I LOVE ANDY. HE IS HOT.**

**Jk**

**A little.**

**Maybe.**

**Okay, not really.**

**But, I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I spent a lot of time thinking about it and writing it. I got all of this done and went to bed cause it was 2 AM. Well—and I knew my parents were planning this, I just thought they'd TELL me when they were going to do it—but they put one of my dogs to sleep this morning before I woke up. My little sister is at work right now and doesn't know she's gone yet, but even though this is the second dog we've lost, it's never easy and I haven't wanted to be at home much today.**

**Whoever said having 7 dogs was "cool" is a loser. Now I have 6 dogs…**

Anyways, I HOPE THE FIRST PART PLEASES YOU, flYegurl!

Chapter 27

Iggy hadn't slept in what felt like days. After he had woken up, a headache hit him like the force of a brick wall. His hands, shakily, lifted to his face and explored the unfamiliar planes. Instead of smooth skin and hair, instead his fingers collided with medical tape.

Now, he sat, dejectedly, in the corner of his cell. If he slept, the white coats would sneak up on him. He was sure of it. So instead, he braced himself in the corner for the inevitable.

Sure enough, some time later an eraser came in to drag him away for experimentation. Iggy had discovered that they had stuck him in a room—though it still felt like a cell—and that the door was nearly inaudible. What alerted him to white coats coming was the painful brightness that seared his eyelids, even behind the medical tape.

"This should be fun," the male muttered, approaching Iggy.

Iggy had had enough. If I'm going out, he thought, I'll go out fighting. So with the last bits of strength, he sprung up and punched blindly. His fist connected on the first punch, but the second one is when he had heard a loud crack.

"Bad move, Birdy," another voice sneered.

Next thing Iggy knew, he was on his back, a heavy body sitting on top of his chest. The eraser that had pinned Iggy to the cell floor pulled out a scalpel. The scientist saw the metal glint in the sliver of light from the hallway.

"Hey, we weren't ordered to harm him," he barked, throwing up a hand as if he could stop the hybrid beast.

"Shut up," the eraser barked.

"Get off!" Iggy shouted the same time the scientist said, "You're only hurting—"

"Try and stop me," he mumbled, placing the tip of the scalpel on Iggy's cheek.

Iggy thrashed as much as he could beneath the eraser's weight, but the eraser had him pinned. Iggy braced himself for the pain, but still screamed as the blade cut into his flesh. It was like fire, like electricity. It was like hell. The erase pushed the scalpel deeper and deeper until the point jabbed Iggy's tongue. He tried to hold perfectly still, but the pain made his back arch, his arms twitch.

Laughing, the eraser slowly began to drag the scalpel diagonally across Iggy's cheek, pulling the blade out of his mouth quickly when it neared his chin, just near his lips. The pain of that action was like an extremely painful Band-Aid being ripped off.

Iggy could taste the blood in his mouth, but the screaming didn't stop. The pain was excruciating. Broken bones couldn't compare. The only escape from the pain he found was unconsciousness.

-x-

**MPOV**

"Max."

Awesome. The last person I wanted to see at the moment was the first person I saw when I woke up. I sat up straight and looked at the clock to avoid looking at him. It wasn't really morning anymore. It was a little past noon. Just a few more hours.

I was stopped mid-sigh when I glanced out the door to see Nudge walk by with a backpack.

"How're you feeling?"

I stretched to check. That way if anything hurt, hiding it would be easy. "Great," I responded, only feeling a small bit of pain as the skin surrounding the bullet wounds stretched painfully over them.

That's when Fang said the one thing that reminded me of how much I could love him sometimes.

"Ready to go?"

I looked at him evenly, a blank expression on both our faces.

"It's a stare down!" Gazzy yelled as he ran past the door.

"We have several hours still," I reminded him before I could stop myself. You know, sometimes I wonder why I open my mouth at all. Here I was, dying to get out and rescue Iggy, attempting to sneak out for the past 2 days, telling Fang we had hours left. I wanted to leave _now_.

But then again, Fang knew this. Reason number 2 I loved Fang sometimes.

"Well, _you _have several _minutes_. The rest of us are ready to go. Get dressed and meet us down by the front door," he ordered, standing up and walking out of the room.

My jaw dropped. "Since when do you give_ me _orders?" I yelled to him, ripping off clothes as I ran down the hall to my room.

"Whoa, Max," Ella laughed. "Do that behind closed doors!"

"Or in Fang's room!" Nudge giggled.

I slammed the bedroom door to hide my red face from them.

-x-

An hour later, the flock was still in the air, flying madly to where Iggy was being held.

"How much longer?" I called down to Fang, who was flying beneath me.

"Not very," he called back.

"It's that building there," Jay yelled from my left.

I nodded and angled my wings downward, lading the flock toward hell.

**VOTE: Should Iggy really get his eyesight back? Or something else?**


	28. Chapter 28

**So, 123-Cat-Cat-321's review made me crack up the most. I still have it saved in my iTouch. I read it for the first time and ran into my sister's room and read it to her. Most entertaining review.**

**Anyways, sorry for the delay. Work and classes for college…etc. I am officially signed up for the Simulation and Game Development major. Unfortunately, so is the guy who is dating my ex-bff and his two whipped bitches—I mean, his best friends.**

**I got one of my text books and was flipping through it, looking for MapleStory or Flyff, or Luna, or Final Fantasy, but instead, I saw "Red vs Blue". Like, LEGIT Red vs Blue! I was freaking the hell out. The YouTube thing was in my textbook. **

**I hope they feel accomplished!**

**Chapter 28**

Iggy lay on the floor in pain when he woke up. He was afraid to move. Breathing was even such a task. But concentrating on breathing kept him from thinking about anything else.

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. In, then out. In, out.

If he weren't in such a deadly situation, he was sure he would have said something about how dirty that thought was.

With a deep breath, he lifted his hand, vaguely aware of the aches that ran up and down the entire length of it, and barely brushed his cheek. Light as a feather, his fingers tickled the skin until he found what he was looking for. Sure enough, the stitches grazed the skin on his fingers and he laughed bitterly.

He was alive. The white coats wanted him alive, for whatever screwed up reason they had.

He just hoped his family wanted him alive, too…

-x-

**MPOV**

Fang's eyes flitted over to me as we entered the eerily quiet building. "I'm fine," I ground out under my breath. Something was itching in the back of my mind.

Not literally….

Fang rolled his eyes and let out a breath. "I don't think he's here," he said.

"I don't think anyone's here," Angel muttered, glaring at the walls.

"But Jay said that—"

"Things change," Zak whispered.

"Your future isn't set in stone. A small adjustment could have major, unrelated consequences," Nikki agreed, glancing at Fang who stood next to her, a perfect poker face in place. "Balance of the universe and all that."

I glanced around a corner. "You're sure no one's here?" I asked Angel, who nodded. I rubbed my eyes "We need to find out where they are now."

No one said anything for a few minutes, no one wanting to believe that this time, we may not actually find Iggy in time. Then Nudge spoke up, her voice uncharacteristically soft. "Find a computer."

"Why?" Zak and Jay asked in unison.

I walked down the hall, backtracking to a door I'd seen when we'd come in labeled "Office".

"Nudge is good with computers," Gazzy mumbled, trying to door knob.

Of course it was locked. Fang pushed us aside, raised a boot-clad foot, and kicked the door once; we were in. I gave him a quick, grateful smile and led Nudge to a computer. She did her thing as everyone watched.

"This was last accessed on…" Nudge opened a few windows and then leaned back in her chair with an air of accomplishment. "This was last accessed fourteen and a half hours ago. Now," she stood up and laid her hand on the monitor. "The lady who sat here. Her name is…Miller. Susan Miller."

"Can you tell if she had anything to do with Iggy?" I asked hopefully.

"Maybe she has a file about where they went," the Gasman added.

Nudge's forehead creased in concentration. "She was involved with Iggy," she muttered. "But she doesn't say where she took him."

"Does she say where they moved this place to?" Angel questioned, looking around the office. Boxes were sitting in the corners, some half full of files. "They seem to be moving."

"They are." Nudge withdrew her hand from the computer.

"Well?" Nikki prompted.

"They're a few hours away by car. In the mountains."

"Alright, thanks Nudge," I grinned. "Gazzy." The Gasman looked up at me questioningly. "Blow it up."

His eyes grew huge.

"All of it?"

"All of it. I don't want them to be able to salvage this place," I said, heading out.

It was an hour of our fastest flying—well, for the rest of the flock at least—before Angel and Nudge started pointing out roads and buildings near our destination. We lowered to the ground in a field not far from the place Nudge said they had moved Iggy to.

"That's definitely it," Angel nodded as we made our way through the thick brush of the woods located behind the building.

-x-

From what Iggy knew, security was thinned due to the move. They had had him sedated for a long time so that there would be no attempts at an escape. If his family was going to save him, he knew it would have to be now.

The move was temporary—Iggy had set off a bomb in a test area and the building had become unstable. With the right mixture of chemicals, it would blow at any minute. An emergency evacuation had been executed.

Though, of all the things Iggy knew, the one thing that was killing him inside was that he couldn't get out alone. He was relying so heavily on his family that each day his hope and faith in them was being forcibly stripped down thinner and thinner.

His cheek was white-hot with pain and a migraine pounded in his ears. If the flock didn't find him soon, he knew he wouldn't—couldn't survive without them. But even through all this, he couldn't help thinking about everything.

Ella. Her name was like a pain reliever for Iggy. Just the echo of her voice in his head, the way she said his name, the way she laughed. Everything. It took his mind away from the pain. And that was good, even if it was only for a few seconds. Thinking of Ella, he knew he wanted to see her. Not just hear her, but _see _her. Especially if she was as pretty as Gazzy had described.

But first things first. Escape?

Not so easy when you're blind.

**-x-**

**MPOV**

I held out my arm to stop further movements. Something was bugging me. I turned to the three kids. "Any of you know how to drive? I mean, if you're our friends in the future, laws don't exactly apply to you, do they?"

Zak burst out laughing. "Don't let Nikki drive. She's terrible."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Zak, the Gasman, and I will go hotwire a car and get it to that post office down the street. We'll be there when you get Iggy out of there. Fang can drive home. We all know Fang has permanent road rage," she said, muttering the last part to her friends. And if I hadn't known every single detail about Fang, I would have missed the fact that he tensed a little at the comment.

"Why Zak and Gazzy?" I asked.

"The pyros. I have no idea how to hotwire a car!"

"I know how to do it," Zak said. "I just need someone to give me the right color wires."

"Good," Fang said, his voice a little more strained than usual. "Gazzy is staying with us—just in case. I highly doubt Iggy is in any condition to be helping us escape." I winced. No condition? Did Fang expect him to be a cripple? "We're going to need Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel."

"I'm going," I muttered. "And Fang is. That's a given."

"Right," Fang agreed, pulling his black knit hat further down over his ears, his hair curling out beneath the bottom. "So just you two go get the car. We'll send someone if we need more help."

"Let's go," I ordered and we all split.

**Two things:**

**I am still debating Iggy's eyesight. Cat's review makes me want him to have, but someone else reminded me there would be no more blind jokes. I mean, but there IS Zak's blindness….but once he's gone, who KNOWS how long it'll be before he shows up in the story again ….**

**Two, I wrote my first oneshot in a LOOOONG time. It's an Avatar: The Last Airbender one-shot in which the new avatar talks to the previous Avatar, Aang much like Aang did with Roku. It's in honor of my NEW FIRE NATION SUKI COSPLAY I MADE :D**


	29. Chapter 29

**I got some interesting reviews. I'm sorry to the one reviewer who isn't a fan of Eggy, but I am so…sorry. Please don't hate me.**

**ALSO, I get these mixed up all the time, but JAY is blind, NOT Zak. Jay life Jeff. Jay = blind. I'll get it right from now on. Promise.**

**And I went to work today and I was like, "So, Brett. Did you hear I'm in one of your Game Design classes?" and he was like "Yeah. Josh called me crying about it." **

**He was crying cuz he was like "She's GOOD at it! She'll make us look bad!"**

**My skillz made a hot guy cry.**

**I don't know whether to be PROUD or Depressed over my taste in guys…..**

**Chapter 29**

Breaking someone out of the school was always easier said than done. Not without someone getting hurt. But we planned on being over-careful this time. No one else would be caught. We really needed to stay away from this place. I'm pretty sure it's no good for our health.

"We're gonna need a plan," Fang murmured over my shoulder.

I peeked around a corner and turned to Angel. "Are there any guards that you could _convince _to bring Iggy to an escapable area?"

Angel just stared at me for a second. "Yeah, but once we find Iggy we'll have about 45 seconds to get in the car and disappear or we'll get caught."

I nodded and we followed Angel down the hall and stopped in front of a door. She went in and returned with a hypnotized white coat. "Go down that hall and into room 211. There will be a long window. Open it—don't break it. I'll go with this guy to get Iggy so that Iggy doesn't freak out."

"Got it." We went into the room and Fang busied himself with opening the window. "Nudge, make sure that there are no alarms attached to that window before he opens it. Gazzy, you got a bomb ready?"

"Always."

"Good. When she brings Iggy in, Jay, I want you to knock out the white coat. Fang and I are going to get Iggy to the car. Nudge, when you've made sure there are no alarms, go to the car, and make sure Nikki has it ready to go."

A minute later the window was open wide and Nudge was gone. "Almost," I muttered to myself. "Where is Angel?"

"Right here," I heard Angel call softly down the hall. Angel and Iggy, led by the white coat, walked through the door. Iggy looked _terrible_. He was being supported heavily by Angel, ho was nearly half his size. Fang and I quickly took him from her and headed for the window. Just like we'd planned, Jay knocked out the white coat while Fang and I jumped out the window with Iggy. Jay was right behind us and I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Gazzy got out, too.

"Damn, Iggy," I breathed, examining the bandages around his eyes and on his cheek. We quickly arrived at the car Nikki and Zak has hotwired—a large van. It was the sketchy kind that your parents warn you about where the drivers often lie about having candy in the car. Nikki jumped out of the car while Zak pushed open the back doors of the van. Nikki took Iggy from Fang and helped me get him in while Fang jumped into the driver's seat.

Iggy had his hands over his face, which was a grimace of pain behind his fingers.

"Fang," I muttered. "Give me your hat."

His eyes flicked upwards and then he wordlessly tossed his hat back to me.

I nodded thanks and turned back to Iggy.

"Here, Ig," I murmured, pulling the black beanie gently down over his eyes, careful to be sensitive to the bandaged areas.

I surveyed the rest of the flock. The Gasman and Angel were sleeping on the floor in a corner, leaning on one another. Nudge was falling asleep not far from them. Nikki was sitting right behind the passenger seat. Jay was sitting next to Iggy, Zak on Jay's other side. Iggy was pressed against the back of the van.

"We'll be home soon, Iggy," I whispered. "Just hang on till then. You're safe."

I patted his shoulder and climbed over everyone to get to the passenger seat next to Fang. "Any possibility you can make the entire van invisible? I don't want anyone who may be following us to know where we're going or where we live." He glanced up from the road.

"I can help," Nikki offered, leaning over to the front seat.

"You have to drive, though," he mumbled, sounding skeptical but pulling over nonetheless.

We switched seats and as soon as we were going, Fang gripped the arm rests while Nikki placed her hands on the floor of the van. Both disappeared. I assumed it worked since no one noticed when we ran through lights. Especially that cop I just passed…

"Can you make it until we get home?" I asked. When I got no answer I sped up. A lot.

"Don't get us killed," I heard Fang barely whisper.

"Didn't plan on it," I responded, trying to make a safe s\turn without scrambling the birdies in the back.

"How much longer?" I heard Nikki ask from behind Fang.

"Few hours."

"I've never held it for this long before," Fang mumbled. "But I am _never _telling you theories about my powers anymore."

It was silent as we pulled into the driveway later that night…er….morning. I pulled the van down the long driveway and parked it as close to the back of the house that I could—right in front of the back porch.

"Ok," I said loudly, waking everyone up. "Fang, Nikki, you guys can stop. Gazzy, help me get Iggy up to his room. Nudge, get the doors on the way.

"I'll go make sure older Fang isn't in the house," Nikki slurred.

Everyone began moving at once, creating a chaos. As soon as we got inside, Iggy began screaming about the lights. Well, whoever had been asleep wasn't now.

"Jay, turn out all the lights!" I commanded over him. We got Iggy to his room with little trouble and I pulled one of Fang's black sheets from the hall closet and draped it across his curtained windows, making as dark in the room as possible.

"What's going on in—" I whipped around and stopped my half asleep mother from turning on the lights.

"Iggy can't take the light right now," I whispered, shooing everyone but Gazzy—who was mumbling back and forth with Iggy on his bed—out of the room.

"What happened to Iggy?" Ella asked, slightly panicked.

Wait a minute. "Aren't you supposed to be in California visiting a college?"

She averted her eyes. "I changed my mind. I wasn't sure if you'd need my help. Fang mentioned that you might…"

Fang. Of course. "I'll talk to you guys about this in the morning," I yawned. "Alright guys…" I was going to tell the flock to go to bed, but only saw doors shut, Jay and Zak heading down the stairs, and lights being turned out.

I pushed open Fang's bedroom door, but the room was empty. I searched the rooms downstairs but didn't find him.

"Where's Nikki?" I asked Jay and Zak, who were getting comfortable in the living room.

"She passed out as soon as she got in the house," Jay responded.

"Older Fang took her out the front door. He told us to tell you younger Fang is still in the car."

"Thanks," I muttered, turning on my heel and rushing to the van to see Fang still sitting upright in the passenger seat, his eyes closed. I quickly felt for a pulse and brushed his hair out of his face when I found it.

"I swear to God that if you don't wake up I'm going to shave your head," I whispered in a panic.

No good.

**OH NOES. PREDICTIONS MAKE ME SMILE!**


	30. Chapter 30

**So.**

**They found a dead body 100 yards from where I work! Google "Adams Farm dead body" if you care. The scare kept people away from the pool so I didn't have to work for 4 days straight. My paycheck was not a happy camper.**

**Sorry it took so long. School starts next week so work has been demanding attention. I should be able to write DURING work now, so expect regular updates as soon as I get a routine down.**

**Chapter 30**

To say I was freaking out would definitely be an understatement. I didn't know what to do. So I rechecked his vitals. He was breathing regularly. Pulse was normal. I placed my hand on his chest to feel his heartbeat even though I'd already checked his pulse. Normal. Everything was normal, yet something was wrong. He wasn't waking up.

"Fang," I murmured, climbing up onto the edge of the van to unbuckle his seatbelt. "Come on. You gotta wake up. You can't sleep in the car. And no way in hell am I going to be able to carry your fat ass into the house."

I took a deep breath. Okay. We need Rational Thinking Max. He'd said he'd never held his power for that long before. And Nikki had been exhausted. Fang had to be exhausted, too.

"If you don't wake up," I said, poking his cheek, "I'll be forced to drag your body through the house topless." Here, piggy, piggy. Come on. Wake up now. I punched him in the arm.

When my fist connected with his arm, he reacted finally, hissing in pain and glaring at me. Fang was finally awake. I didn't know whether to call him a sexist pig or a wuss. Either way, I was definitely relieved.

"Let's go inside," I grunted pulling him out of the car. It wasn't until his eyes started to droop that I fully understood the extent of his exhaustion. "Yo! No way!" I pulled Fang towards the door and entered the kitchen. "Stay awake until we get upstairs."

"Tired," he mumbled, pushing himself towards the stairs.

"Okay, well, work with me and I can drag your unconscious body to your bed. Just make it up the stairs."

Fang, being the trooper he and the rest of the flock are, made it up the stairs but tripped a few times. I headed for my bedroom, but Fang tugged me towards his as I carried him past it.

"Closer," he breathed.

"But my mom doesn't—"

"She knows."

Oh snap.

My mom knew Fang and I have been sleeping in the same room? In the same bed? This had the potential for ending badly, nevertheless I took him to his room, shut the door, and helped him into his bed, pulling off his boots and kicking my own off before climbing in next to him.

His dark eyes opened and locked with mine. "Don't ever," he sighed, giving up and closing his eyes.

"Don't ever…?"

"Make me do that again."

-x-

I woke up some time later to the light coming in the room too brightly. Fang's arms were wrapped tightly around my waist. He was still asleep. Carefully, I freed myself from his grip and headed towards the door, stretching. Seeing the door wide open when I remembered shutting—even _locking _it—I knew immediately something funny was going on. When I found out the instigator they were not going to be laughing.

I stepped out into the hall and noticed that only Iggy's door was shut. Everyone else must have woken up already.

How late was it? I wondered, ambling slowly into the kitchen, still a bit tired.

"It's a little past noon," Angel answered my silent question.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked, seeing Angel sitting at the kitchen table working a puzzle and Nudge at the sink cleaning dishes.

"Gazzy is in the living room with Jay and Zak," Angel replied.

"Dr. M went out with Ella to get stuff for Iggy," Nudge mumbled.

I furrowed my brow. "What kinds of things?"

"We're running out of gauze. Dark sunglasses, something thick to put over the windows—those thin lace curtains don't do anything really."

"Oh," came my reply.

Angel looked up at me and smiled. "We're fine, Max. Relax. You don't have to take care of us 24/7 when we're in the house."

Nudge shot a grin over her shoulder. "At least wait for us to go outside."

I couldn't help but wince. That's all Iggy had done—gone outside.

"Too soon?" She muttered, turning back to her cleaning.

I shook my head even though I couldn't help the smile that played on my lips. "Oh, and Nudge. Control that lock-picking of yours. Or you never know what could happen," I threatened playfully. Even if she had unlocked the door, I was pretty sure that it wasn't her idea.

"Hey," she called, throwing her hands and soapy bubbles in the air. "Not my idea!"

"Gazzy's idea," Angel tattled.

Spinning on my heel I headed for the living room.

"Gazzy!" I called, pulling the doors open. Immediately he jumped up in a defensive position and backed himself into a corner.

"Whoa! Wait a second!" he grinned. "It was for your own good!"

"But not yours," I grabbed him and threw him over my shoulder easily. I stopped moving when I saw Fang on the couch. "Should you be in here? I mean, what if the other Fang wakes up and comes downstairs?"

He glanced at his watch. "I have another 6 to 8 hours."

I just stared at him with my I-am-not-amused face.

"For real?" the Gasman laughed. "Dang."

"Nikki isn't awake yet, either," Zak motioned to the unconscious girl lying beside Fang.

"Well, just be careful," I mumbled, taking the Gasman through the kitchen. Mom would never allow fighting in the house.

"Max!" he cried. "What are you doing?"

Angel and Nudge laughed and followed us.

"We haven't sparred with each other in ages," I said, throwing him to the ground, but before he could hit the grass, he twisted so he could land on his hands, his legs wrapping around my waist. Not expecting him to have done that, he caught me off guard and with a jerk of his body, I was lying on the ground at his feet.

"Nice one," I laughed, standing up. "Don't expect it to happen again."

**Any suggestions or predictions?**

**And yes, there will be some Eggy next chapter :D**

**Sorry, I'm not much of a Niggy fan.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Haven't updated in a while! **

**COLLEGE STARTED AND I MADE THE ARIA WINTERGUARD IN NORTH CAROLINA (for people who know what winterguard is and CWEA and WGI and compete in DAYTON OHIO)**

**I have lots of excuses: Other obsessions have arisen. BLAME NETFLIX FOR THE WII. I got REALLY into (in order) Generator Rex, Supernatural started again, Orphen, Kaze no Stigma, Ben 10, Ouran Host Club (again), Soul Eater, Ben 10, Generator Rex, and MOAR GENERATOR REX :D And Soul Eater. My new favorite anime lessthanthree.**

**Anyways, thanks for being patient, here's a longish chapter. Won't take so long next time.**

**Chapter 31**

Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, and I continually traded places with one another and practiced until Jay, Zak, Older Fang, and Nikki came outside.

"Nice to see you vertical," Nudge said to Nikki, laughing at her disheveled look.

"I know. Look like crap," she mumbled, yawning.

"Come to join us?" I asked them. I wondered if this Fang's fighting style had gotten better or worse. Unlikely it'd be the same, but there was only one way to find out.

I stood in front of Fang, fists clenching and unclenching in anticipation. Behind me I heard Nudge and the Gasman exchanging bets. Fang's eyes flicked over his shoulder and he smirked.

"What are _you _smiling about, old man?" I teased.

"Don't get too confident, Max. I'm not _that_ old," he said quietly. "Who knows, maybe I can kick your ass in the future."

"Or not," I replied, leaping forward. Fang met my fist with incredible speed. His arm flew up and caught my wrist, jerking me to the side with ease.

Though, I'm not always that easy to knock down. I rebounded with a flip in the air, landing on my knees instead of my back; still painful, yet easier to recover from. I jumped up and ran at him again, throwing punches and kicks lower this time. He seemed to have a hard time defending so low, but resolved that issue by disappearing.

"Crap," I muttered, scowling when I heard him chuckle. I whipped around and kicked at the ground, sending dirt and grass flying through the air. Just as she had assumed, the dirt stuck to him and since he had turned invisible before it touched him, it remained visible in the air.

"Nice," Fang exhaled, returning to the land of the visible. "Where'd you come up with that?"

"Ah," I smiled. "So I've never used that on you before? Good to know."

"Maybe we should stop before we change something else," Fang frowned.

"What?" I threw another punch at him. "Chicken? You just know I can still kick your ass, no matter what timeline you're from."

He caught my wrists midair.

"No, I just don't want to affect things too much. I'm more or less content with the way things are right now."

Nikki burst out laughing. "Sure you are! You're as happy as I am, Mr. D'Nial."

I tried to jerk out of his grasp, but he didn't even budge a bit. Our fight ended there as my mom came out the back door and saw the state I had put the grass is.

"Max!" she gasped. "Everyone inside. Now."

Wordlessly Fang lifted Nikki off the ground and jumped into the air, taking off into the forest. I watched Jay and Zak take off after him.

"Chickens," I muttered.

"Max!" Mom snapped.

"It's just a little hole in the yard," I sighed when Mom and I were alone in the kitchen. "I'll fill it back up. I mean, you told us to fight outside."

"I told you not to fight in the house." Same thing. She ran her hands through her hair looking tired. I suddenly felt bad for being so inconsiderate. Here she was, a single mother taking on 6 needy bird kids in addition to the daughter she already had, and we were only causing her problems.

"But that's not the point," she snapped suddenly, pointing a finger at me. "You were shot not but three days ago—"

"But—" I tried to argue.

"—and even with accelerated healing there's no way you're at 100 percent yet!"

"I'm good enough," I said firmly. "Anyways, have you taken a look at Iggy yet? I'm worried…"

"Not yet," she sighed. "Ella went in to talk to him and said she'd come get me when he was ready for me.

I nodded and headed upstairs to check on Fang before she could change the subject back and yell at me again.

-x-

**Third Person POV**

Ella had come into the room as soon as she got home. She didn't say anything, just sat with him on the floor next to the door. No words were needed. She would wait for him to speak, for him to be ready. He'd been through a potentially traumatic past few days. She'd give him the time he needed.

After nearly an hour he got off the floor, pushed his black beanie back a bit and turn t look at her. Sulking wasn't going to change what had happened to him. Ella was right here with him, offering a metaphorical hand to help him. So he held his hand out to her and smiled a little, knowing that she couldn't see it in the dark. She was looking around, squinting with lack of light looking for him. He reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling her up.

"Help me pushed the bed away from the window."

"Okay," she said slowly, surprised.

"Get that end, I got this one," he instructed.

"So," Ella murmured quietly, helping Iggy push the bed into the wall away from the window. "What's it like?"

"What do you mean?" he felt the bed hit the wall and stood up straight, looking her. The way her dark hair fell down her shoulders and across her face as she bent over the bed to straighten the pillows. The way the corners of her lips would turn up slightly when she looked at him. The spark in her eyes as she spoke, the hints of interest. All the things he missed being blind.

"What's it like seeing?"

Iggy fell onto the bed and covered his eyes with his hands, recreating the darkness that he'd lived in for so long. "I don't miss it. I don't know if you knew this, but I wasn't born blind. It was something the school did to me."

"So," Ella sat down next to him, her arm brushing his in the closeness. "Did you miss seeing?"

"For a little while. I was so young, that as time went on I forgot what it was like."

It was quiet for a minute before she responded. "Does it hurt? You eyes?"

"Right now?" He reached up and brushed his eyelids.

"Yeah?"

"Looking into light, being in light. That's what hurts them."

"Give it time," she said, a grin even in her voice. "You've got the flock, mom, and me to help you if you need anything."

"Thanks," he replied.

"I think you should let mom look at your eyes, though," she told him seriously.

He groaned. "Let me talk to Max first."

"You just know she's going to pull you into the light," she said. He was like a kid who knew he was going to get a shot at the doctors. Nonetheless, she hopped off the bed and left to get Max.

-x-

**MPOV**

I pushed open Fang's door and silently poked my head in to see him fast asleep. He'd rolled onto his stomach, arm dangling over the edge of the bed.

"_I have 6-8 hours."_

"Right," I muttered, shutting the door behind me as I left.

"Iggy wants to talk to you, Max," a voice whispered behind me.

"Jeez, Ella!" I jumped, giggling nervously.

"Sorry," she smiled.

"I'll go see what he wants." I stood in front of his bedroom door, hand hovering over the knob. What if I opened the door and scared him? I settled for knocking first. "Ig?" I called. "I'm coming in."

He didn't respond so I opened the door slowly. The room was dark, but I could see enough. The bed was pushed into a corner, and Iggy sat on it, leaning against the two walls.

"Hey," I said quietly, leaning up against the wall next to him.

"Hi."

"You should let mom—"

"I can't make blind jokes anymore, Max," Iggy sighed, pulling Fang's beanie off his head.

I smiled, my eyes meeting his in the dark. "I think, somehow, we'll live." He sighed dramatically and pushed me gently. "Will you let mom check you out?"

He smiled for half a second before agreeing.

"Be right back," I said, eyeing him suspiciously.

**REVIEW KTHXBAI? Lemme know if you participate in winterguard!**


	32. Chapter 32

**So naturally I promise a speedy update and then don't deliver.**

**Yeah, my bad.**

**Anyways, winterguard competitions have started up along with a busy semester of school. And tomorrow night I'm leaving for Richmond, Virginia to compete in the WGI regionals. Now, if we win, not only will I update out of excitement on Monday, but we will also be the highest ranked Independent A winterguard in the country for a little while :D**

**How cool would that be?**

**Fingers crossed.**

**Anyways, enjoy. This is where the REAL plot starts :D**

**Chapter 32**

It was an hour after she went in and she had yet to come out. I got off the floor next too Iggy's door and left to check on the rest of the flock. Just as I passed Fang's bedroom door, it opened and Fang exited, heading for the bathroom." The look on his face told me he was half asleep.

"Don't fall in!" I called.

"Bite me," I heard him mumble.

I leaned against the wall across from Iggy's door and saw a dim glow flicker through the gap at the bottom of the door. Must be a candle. I took in a deep breath and realized that I was shaking. And not from the cold. I realized then the effect everything was having on me. Mainly Iggy. I was so worried. Worried they did something more than mess with his eyesight. Sure, he could see now, but what if he couldn't ever be in the light? What if he could see now, but right after he gets used to it, he goes blind again?

No. It was just too…unrealistic. Iggy getting his sight back, us getting home in one piece? No. It was too easy. Life hated us, remember? The mutant freaks never caught a break.

Fang walked back out of the bathroom and headed back for his bedroom but stopped when he saw me.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," I answered, confused.

He stared at me blankly before glancing at Iggy's bedroom door. "How's he doing? I don't even know what kind of state he's in." He came over and leaned against the wall next to me, out arms touching.

"Well," I started, taking a deep breath before telling him everything that had happened from the point we got home until now. His face remained emotionless, even as I told him how Iggy had regained his sight. "And now…"

"Now?"

I ran my hand through my hair and slid down to the floor. "Now we wait."

"For what?" He joined me on the floor, his eyes blazing.

"It's not over. This was just the tip of the iceberg. They know where we're at."

"We can't wait for them here," he said quietly.

"Where else are we going to go, Fang?" I exclaimed. "We can't just go back to living on the run—to living in the woods again!"

"And why not?" he asked, his voice rising. He stood up and I began to get angry. "We can't stay _here_! We'll only put your mom and Ella in danger."

I stood up and glared, looking up at him. He may be taller than me, but he wasn't the leader of this flock.

"The flock doesn't deserve to live in the woods again! I'm not—"

"None of us deserves any of this! Iggy doesn't deserve to be blind! Angel, Nudge, and Gazzy deserve to have friends their own age!" I glared hard at him. This was common knowledge by now. Did he really think I was this dense? That I hadn't already figured this out? His tone was suddenly softer, but still angry. "And you don't deserve to have to worry about everyone."

"No," I snapped. "I don't. And I don't deserve to be yelled at. You think I don't know how unfair all this is?" I gestured around me. "We shouldn't even be here right now. Mom and Ella could—"

"Stop it!"

I blinked in shock and Angel stepped between up. I hadn't noticed how close Fang and I had been standing, or that we had drawn a crowd—the flock.

"Yelling at each other isn't going to solve anything!" the Gasman agreed.

"We'll think of something," Nudge mumbled, watching us with fear filled eyes.

Fang shut his eyes and took a deep breath before turning on his heel, walking into his room, and slamming the door. That just made me angrier. I was about to scream in anger when my mom opened the door to Iggy's room and stepped out.

"What is going on out here?"

The flock looked at me. "Nothing," I ground out before following Fang's lead. I walked up to his door and swung it open before slamming it shut behind me.

"Don't slam the doors," I heard my mom say in the hall.

Fang was lying face down on his bed. "You can't seriously still be tired."

"You wear me out."

I rolled my eyes. "We need a plan."

"Obviously."

"Fang!" He remained quiet, unmoving. "Fine!" I snapped. "I don't need you." He thought of me not needing him was laughable, but still I turned around and stormed out of his room.

"Max, where are you going?" Ella asked as I passed her in the living room on my way to the front door.

"Out!" I yelled, slamming the front door to make sure Fang heard me leaving. Okay, that wasn't really fair of me to take it out on Ella, but I was beyond pissed. I was boiling with age and I needed to vent. And my outlet came in the form on a small winged kid from the future.

I stepped into a small clearing beyond the woods in front of our house and quickly found Nikki among the group. I avoided Older Fang. I didn't need a spike in my anger.

"Fight me," I demanded.

"What?" She looked up at me, a perfect poker face in place, but her eyes sparked with interest.

"Isn't that like, child abuse?" I heard Jay mumble. Zak elbowed him in the ribs.

"What's wrong?" Older Fang asked.

My glare cut to him. "I need to vent some of this anger."

"So naturally you knew no one in your flock was capable and you found us," Jay said with a smirk.

I just shot him a look before returning my eyes to Nikki.

"Alright," she said easily, standing up and dusting off the seat of her jeans.

"Nik, I don't think—" Older Fang started.

"It's alright. She can't hurt me."

"We'll see," I mumbled.


End file.
